Sheet-material heating device and CVD device

Abstract

This sheet-material heating device is for heating a continuous sheet material being conveyed along a given conveyance path by conveyance rollers, and comprises: a cylindrical vessel configured so that the sheet material is carried thereinto; and heaters for heating the inside of the cylindrical vessel. The heaters include a pair of first heaters, which are arranged along the width direction of the sheet material across the cylindrical vessel and which each have a first heater surface that extends orthogonally to the direction, and a pair of second heaters, which are arranged along the thickness direction of the sheet material across the cylindrical vessel and which each have a second heater surface that extends orthogonally to the thickness direction.

Description

Sheet Material Heating Device and CVD Processing Device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sheet material heating device and a CVD processing device. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-195258 filed with the Japan Patent Office on November 7, 2024, and incorporates its content herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for performing heat treatment on a sheet material have been known. As a specific treatment of heat treatment, CVD treatment (chemical vapor deposition treatment) disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be cited. The film forming apparatus of this document performs CVD treatment on a plurality of sheet materials (more specifically, a plurality of wafers) arranged inside a vertical furnace.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-246340

[0004] It is preferable that a large amount of sheet materials to be heated can be easily arranged in a cylindrical container such as a vertical furnace or a horizontal furnace. Furthermore, it is preferable to perform uniform heating on the sheet materials.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sheet material heating device and a CVD processing device that can easily arrange a large amount of sheet materials to be heated in a cylindrical container and can uniformly heat the sheet materials.

[0006] The sheet material heating device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a sheet material heating device for heating a long sheet material conveyed along a prescribed conveyance path by a conveyance roller, and includes a cylindrical container configured to receive the sheet material, and a heater for heating the inside of the cylindrical container. The heater includes a pair of first heaters arranged so as to be aligned along the width direction of the sheet material with the cylindrical container therebetween, each having a first heater surface extending orthogonal to the width direction, and a pair of second heaters arranged so as to be aligned along the thickness direction of the sheet material with the cylindrical container therebetween, each having a second heater surface extending orthogonal to the thickness direction.

[0007] A CVD processing apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a CVD processing apparatus comprising the sheet material heating device described above and at least one gas pipe configured to guide a processing gas for use in CVD processing of the sheet material into the cylindrical container, wherein each of the at least one gas pipe includes a pipe body portion extending along the axial direction of the cylindrical container within the cylindrical container and a plurality of injection ports for injecting the processing gas within the pipe body portion, the plurality of injection ports arranged at intervals in the axial direction.

[0008] A CVD processing apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a sheet material heating apparatus; a first connecting member connected to the first end of the cylindrical container, the first connecting member having a first main body wall portion defining a first space through which the sheet material passes; and an introduction pipe configured to guide a processing gas for use in CVD processing of the sheet material into the first space, the introduction pipe connected to a first connecting hole portion penetrating the first main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

[0009] A CVD processing apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a CVD processing apparatus for performing CVD processing on a long sheet material that is transported along a predetermined transport path by transport rollers, comprising: a cylindrical container configured to receive the sheet material; and at least one gas pipe configured to guide a processing gas for use in the CVD processing into the cylindrical container, each of the at least one gas pipe including: a pipe body portion extending along the axial direction of the cylindrical container within the cylindrical container; and a plurality of injection ports for injecting the processing gas within the pipe body portion, the plurality of injection ports arranged at intervals in the axial direction.

[0010] A CVD processing apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a CVD processing apparatus for performing CVD processing on a long sheet material that is transported along a predetermined transport path by transport rollers, comprising: a cylindrical container configured to receive the sheet material; a first connecting member connected to a first end of the cylindrical container, the first connecting member having a first main body wall portion that defines a first space through which the sheet material passes; and an introduction pipe configured to introduce a processing gas for use in the CVD processing of the sheet material into the first space, the introduction pipe connected to a first connecting hole portion that penetrates the first main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

[0011] According to this disclosure, a sheet material heating device and a CVD processing device are provided that can easily arrange a large quantity of sheet material to be heated in a cylindrical container and heat the sheet material uniformly.

[0012] This is a schematic diagram of a sheet material heating device according to one embodiment. This is another schematic diagram of a sheet material heating device according to one embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing the details of the first heater (first example). This is a schematic diagram showing the details of the first heater (second example). This is a schematic diagram showing the details of the first heater (third example). This is a schematic diagram of a CVD processing device according to one embodiment. This is another schematic diagram of a CVD processing device according to one embodiment. This is a schematic diagram of a gas pipe according to one embodiment. This is a schematic diagram of a housing according to one embodiment. This is a schematic diagram of a CVD processing device according to another embodiment (first modified example). This is a schematic diagram of a CVD processing device according to another embodiment (second modified example). This is a schematic diagram of the first annular connecting member in an axial view. This is a schematic diagram of the second annular connecting member in an axial view. This is a schematic diagram of a CVD processing device according to another embodiment (third modified example).

[0013] Hereinafter, several embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc., of the components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure, but are merely illustrative examples. For example, expressions describing relative or absolute arrangements such as "in a certain direction," "along a certain direction," "parallel," "orthogonal," "center," "concentric," or "coaxial" should not only describe such arrangements strictly, but also represent states where there are tolerances or relative displacements of an angle or distance sufficient to achieve the same function. For example, expressions describing things being in an equal state such as "identical," "equal," and "homogeneous" should not only describe states where things are strictly equal, but also represent states where there are tolerances or differences sufficient to achieve the same function. For example, expressions describing shapes such as square or cylindrical should not only describe geometrically precise square or cylindrical shapes, but also shapes including concave and concave parts, chamfered parts, etc., to the extent that the same effect can be achieved. On the other hand, expressions such as "possessing," "including," or "having" a single component are not exclusive expressions that exclude the existence of other components. Furthermore, similar components may be denoted by the same symbol, and their explanations may be omitted.

[0014] <Overview of Sheet Material Heating Device 1> Figures 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams of a sheet material heating device 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The sheet material heating device 1 is configured to heat a long sheet material 15 that is conveyed along a predetermined conveyance path C by a conveyance roller 50. The sheet material 15 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel. The longitudinal direction of the sheet material 15 coincides with the conveyance direction of the sheet material 15.

[0015] The conveying method for the sheet material 15 is a so-called roll-to-roll method, in which the sheet material 15 unwound from one roll is wound up by another roll. The conveying rollers 50 include an unwound roller 58 and a winding roller 59.

[0016] The dispensing roller 58 holds the dispensing roll 52 around which the sheet material 15 is wound, and is configured to rotate in the dispensing direction (arrow A1) that dispenses the sheet material 15. The winding roller 59 holds the winding roll 53 around which the sheet material 15 is wound, and is configured to rotate in the winding direction (arrow A2) that winds the sheet material 15.

[0017] The sheet material heating device 1 comprises a cylindrical container 2 located on the transport path C between the feed roller 58 and the winding roller 59, and a heater 9 for heating the inside of the cylindrical container 2. The cylindrical container 2 may be a polygonal tube such as a square tube, or a cylinder, etc.

[0018] The cylindrical container 2 is cylindrical in shape and extends along the conveying direction of the sheet material 15, and the sheet material 15 is loaded into the inside of the cylindrical container 2. The axial direction of the cylindrical container 2 is substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2. The cylindrical container 2 may be formed from a glass material such as quartz glass. Hereinafter, the portion of the sheet material 15 that extends in the conveying direction inside the cylindrical container 2 may be referred to as the "long portion 15A". In Figures 1 and 2, there is one sheet material 15 extending inside the cylindrical container 2, but this disclosure is not limited to this. Multiple sheet materials 15 may extend substantially parallel to each other inside the cylindrical container 2 (details will be described later using Figures 4 and 8).

[0019] This is just one example, but the cylindrical container 2 is cylindrical and positioned horizontally. That is, in this embodiment, the axial direction of the cylindrical container 2 is along the horizontal direction, and the elongated portion 15A extends along the horizontal direction. Also, the thickness direction of the elongated portion 15A is along the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the axial direction of the cylindrical container 2 will be abbreviated as "axial direction," and the thickness direction and width direction of the elongated portion 15A will be abbreviated as "thickness direction" and "width direction," respectively.

[0020] The heater 9 includes a heating element configured to generate heat when an electric current is passed through it, and a base in which the heating element is embedded. The heating element may be an electric heating wire formed from, for example, a nickel-chromium alloy, an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, platinum, or tungsten. The base may be a plate-shaped member formed from an insulating material. The amount of current, which is the value of the current flowing through the heating element, is controlled by a controller 90, which is a component of the sheet material heating device 1. The controller 90 is a computer equipped with a processor and a recording medium (memory) that stores data processed by the processor (details of the controller 90 will be described later).

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the heater 9 includes a pair of first heaters 10 arranged along the width direction with the cylindrical container 2 in between, and a pair of second heaters 20 arranged along the thickness direction with the cylindrical container 2 in between.

[0022] Each base of the first heater 10 extends perpendicular to the width direction, and the end face of the base on the cylindrical container 2 side is the first heater surface 11 that dissipates the heat generated by the heating element. The first heater surface 11 extends perpendicular to the width direction. Therefore, each first heater surface 11 is substantially parallel to the end edge 15e, which is the end of the elongated portion 15A in the width direction.

[0023] Each second heater 20 base extends perpendicular to the thickness direction, and the end face of the base on the cylindrical container 2 side is the second heater surface 22 that dissipates the heat generated by the heating element. The second heater surface 22 extends perpendicular to the thickness direction. Therefore, each second heater surface 22 is substantially parallel to the surface 15S of the elongated portion 15A.

[0024] The sheet material heating device 1 further comprises a housing 30 that houses a heater 9 and a cylindrical container 2. The housing 30 includes an outer wall portion 31 and an inner wall portion 32, and a heater housing space 39 is formed between the outer wall portion 31 and the inner wall portion 32 in which the heater 9 is housed.

[0025] When viewed along the axial direction, a container housing space 38 is formed inside the inner wall portion 32 where the cylindrical container 2 is placed. The inner wall portion 32 has a wall opening 35 that is open along the radial direction of the cylindrical container 2, and the heater 9 is exposed to the inside through the wall opening 35.

[0026] More specifically, the inner wall portion 32 includes a pair of first inner wall portions 32a arranged in the width direction with the cylindrical container 2 in between, and a pair of second inner wall portions 32b arranged in the thickness direction with the cylindrical container 2 in between. The wall opening 35 includes a first wall thickness opening 35a that penetrates each of the first inner wall portions 32a in the width direction, and a second wall thickness opening 35b that penetrates each of the second inner wall portions 32b in the thickness direction. Each of the pair of first heaters 10 is exposed to the inside through the first wall thickness opening 35a, and each of the pair of second heaters 20 is exposed to the inside through the second wall thickness opening 35b. The first wall thickness opening 35a may be made up of a plurality of slit holes. Similarly, the second wall thickness opening 35b may also be made up of a plurality of slit holes.

[0027] The operation of the sheet material heating device 1 is as follows: The conveyor roller 50 drives a predetermined portion of the sheet material 15 into the cylindrical container 2 as a long section 15A. Then, the heater 9 is activated, and the heat from the heater 9 is transferred to the cylindrical container 2 through the wall openings 35. More specifically, the heat emitted from each first heater surface 11 is transferred to the cylindrical container 2 through the first wall openings 35a, and the heat emitted from each second heater surface 22 is transferred to the cylindrical container 2 through the second wall openings 35b. As a result, the long section 15A inside the cylindrical container 2 is heated.

[0028] Since elongated sheet material 15 is loaded into the cylindrical container 2, a large quantity of sheet material 15 can be easily placed in the cylindrical container 2. Furthermore, each first heater surface 11 is substantially parallel to the end edge 15e of the elongated portion 15A, and each second heater surface 22 is substantially parallel to the surface 15S of the elongated portion 15A. Therefore, the heater 9 can heat the sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2 uniformly. As a result, the temperature on the surface 15S becomes uniform in the axial and width directions. Thus, a sheet material heating device 1 is realized that can easily place a large quantity of sheet material 15 to be heated inside the cylindrical container 2 and heat the sheet material 15 uniformly.

[0029] <First Heater 10> The specific configurations of each first heater 10 are illustrated with reference to Figures 3A to 3C. Figure 3A shows the first heater 10A (10) according to the first example, Figure 3B shows the first heater 10B (10) according to the second example, and Figure 3C shows the first heater 10C (10) according to the third example.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3A, the first heater 10A (10) according to the first example may include a plurality of axially divided heaters 12 arranged in the axial direction. The amount of current supplied to the heating element of each axially divided heater 12 is controlled by the controller 90. That is, the plurality of axially divided heaters 12 are configured to operate independently of each other. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the amount of heating of the cylindrical container 2 according to the axial position of the cylindrical container 2.

[0031] The multiple axially divided heaters 12 are classified into one-sided axially divided heaters 12I, the other-sided axially divided heaters 12T, and the central-sided axially divided heaters 12M.

[0032] The one-sided axial split heater 12I and the other-sided axial split heater 12T are located at both ends of the cylindrical container 2, respectively. In other words, the one-sided axial split heater 12I is positioned on one side in the axial direction relative to the axial center of the cylindrical container 2, and the other-sided axial split heater 12T is positioned on the other side in the axial direction relative to the axial center of the cylindrical container 2. The central-sided axial split heater 12M is located between the one-sided axial split heater 12I and the other-sided axial split heater 12T. The central-sided axial split heater 12M is longer in the axial direction than the one-sided axial split heater 12I and the other-sided axial split heater 12T.

[0033] With the above configuration, the amount of heat generated in each of the one-sided axial split heater 12I, the other-sided axial split heater 12T, and the central-sided axial split heater 12M can be adjusted, so that the temperature of the sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2 can be made uniform in the axial direction. Furthermore, according to the inventor's knowledge, although the amount of heat fluctuation is relatively large at both ends in the axial direction of the cylindrical container 2, the amount of heat fluctuation is relatively small between the two ends. With the above configuration, the central-sided axial split heater 12M, which is longer in the axial direction than the one-sided axial split heater 12I and the other-sided axial split heater 12T, is arranged in an axial range where the amount of heat fluctuation is relatively small. As a result, the number of axial split heaters 12 can be reduced, and the configuration of the heater 9 of the sheet material heating device 1 can be simplified.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3B, the first heater 10B (10) according to the second example may include a plurality of thickness-direction divided heaters 19 arranged in the thickness direction (vertical direction in this example). The amount of current supplied to the heating element of each thickness-direction divided heater 19 is controlled by the controller 90. That is, the plurality of thickness-direction divided heaters 19 are configured to operate independently of each other. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the amount of heating of the cylindrical container 2 according to the vertical position.

[0035] The multiple thickness-direction divided heaters 19 are classified into lower heaters 19D, upper heaters 19U, and central heaters 19M. The lower heaters 19D are located below the central axis of the cylindrical container 2, and the upper heaters 19U are located above the central axis of the cylindrical container 2. The central heaters 19M are located between the upper heaters 19U and the lower heaters 19D. The vertical range of the central heaters 19M includes the vertical position of the central axis of the cylindrical container 2.

[0036] The controller 90 is configured to control the lower heater 19D and the upper heater 19U so that the amount of heat generated by the lower heater 19D is greater than the amount of heat generated by the upper heater 19U. The amount of heat generated by the central heater 19M in the cylindrical container 2 may be freely adjusted according to the temperature inside the cylindrical container 2.

[0037] The first heater 10C according to the third example shown in Figure 3C is realized by combining the examples shown in Figures 3A and 3B, respectively, and each axially divided heater 12 includes a lower heater 19D, a central heater 19M, and an upper heater 19U. In other words, each of the one-sided axially divided heater 12I, the other-sided axially divided heater 12T, and the central-sided axially divided heater 12M includes a lower heater 19D, a central heater 19M, and an upper heater 19U. As a result, the heating area of ​​the first heater 10C is divided into nine sections, and the controller 90 can independently control the amount of current supplied to the heating element in each section.

[0038] <Overview of CVD Processing Apparatus 5> Referring to Figure 4, the CVD processing apparatus 5 incorporating the sheet material heating device 1 will be described. The CVD processing apparatus 5 is configured to perform CVD processing on the sheet material 15 that has been transported into the cylindrical container 2 by the transport rollers 50. The CVD processing apparatus 5 is equipped with a plurality of gas pipes 16 for guiding the processing gas used for CVD processing into the cylindrical container 2. In this embodiment, allotropes are generated on the sheet material 15 through the CVD processing.

[0039] To illustrate with further detail, the surface 15S of the sheet material 15 includes a first surface 15a and a second surface 15b opposite to the first surface 15a. Before the sheet material 15 is transported into the cylindrical container 2, a catalyst layer 13 is formed on each of the first surface 15a and the second surface 15b. The allotropes are formed on each of the catalyst layers 13. By forming allotropes on both sides of the sheet material 15, the amount of allotropes produced per unit time is increased, thereby improving the production efficiency of the allotropes.

[0040] However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the allotrope may be formed on either the first surface 15a or the second surface 15b. Furthermore, a layer or film made of another material may be interposed between the surface 15S and the catalyst layer 13. This can suppress interdiffusion between the catalyst layer 13 and the sheet material 15.

[0041] Examples of allotropes include carbon allotropes, sulfur allotropes, or phosphorus allotropes. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a carbon nanotube 14 (hereinafter referred to as "CNT14"), which is an example of a carbon allotrope, is formed on the surface 15S of the sheet material 15.

[0042] In this case, the processing gas supplied from the gas pipe 16 is a hydrocarbon gas such as acetylene or methane, or a carbon gas such as carbon monoxide or alcohol. Further, the catalyst layer 13 is a metal such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), or an alloy composed of two or more of these. The catalyst layer 13 may be a precursor of a metal such as a metal oxide or a metal compound.

[0043] CNT14 may be either a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) or a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT). The number of layers of the multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) is two or more, and for example, it may be two or more and twenty or less, and more specifically, it may be two or more and ten or less. When the number of layers is two, the multi-walled carbon nanotube is a double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT). That is, DWNT is included in MWNT.

[0044] <Details of the CVD processing apparatus 5> Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the configuration of the CVD processing apparatus 5 will be described in detail. The CVD processing apparatus 5 further includes a plurality of one-side holding rollers 61 and a plurality of the other-side holding rollers 62. The plurality of one-side holding rollers 61 are arranged on one side in the axial direction with respect to the cylindrical container 2, and the plurality of the other-side holding rollers 62 are arranged on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the cylindrical container 2. The plurality of one-side holding rollers 61 and the plurality of the other-side holding rollers 62 are alternately arranged in the thickness direction. Each of the one-side holding roller 61 and the other-side holding roller 62 is arranged rotatably.

[0045] The sheet material 15 is held in a folded position by each of the holding rollers 61 on one side and 62 on the other side. In this example, when the sheet material 15 is stretched across each of these rollers, multiple layers of sheet material 15 are arranged at intervals in the first direction within the cylindrical container 2. In other words, multiple elongated portions 15A included in the sheet material 15 are arranged at intervals along the thickness direction.

[0046] In Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram, the number of retaining rollers 61 on one side and 62 on the other side is 2, but this disclosure is not limited to this, and the number of each roller may be 1 or 3 or more. The above-mentioned "multiple stages" refers to two or more stages, and may be, for example, 3 or more and 20 or less, or as a more specific example, 3 or more and 13 or less.

[0047] Multiple one-sided retaining rollers 61 are housed in one-sided retaining roller housing chambers 65, and multiple other-sided retaining rollers 62 are housed in other-sided retaining roller housing chambers 66. The gas pipe 16 described above is connected to piping members 7 housed in the one-sided retaining roller housing chambers 65 and the other-sided retaining roller housing chambers 66, respectively. The piping members 7 for guiding the processing gas to the gas pipe 16 are fitted and held in retaining holes formed in the one-sided retaining roller housing chambers 65 and the other-sided retaining roller housing chambers 66, respectively.

[0048] Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the CVD processing apparatus 5 may further include a one-side opening / closing mechanism, a other-side opening / closing mechanism, and an exhaust device. The one-side opening / closing mechanism is housed in a one-side holding roller housing chamber 65 and is positioned between a plurality of one-side holding rollers 61 and the cylindrical container 2. The other-side opening / closing mechanism is housed in a other-side holding roller housing chamber 66 and is positioned between a plurality of other-side holding rollers 62 and the cylindrical container 2. The exhaust device is configured to discharge gas from inside the cylindrical container 2.

[0049] Each of the one-side opening / closing mechanism and the other-side opening / closing mechanism comprises multiple layers of sheet material 15 and multiple rotating members arranged alternately in the thickness direction. The rotating members are non-circular when viewed along the width direction of the sheet material 15. When each rotating member rotates, the gap between the rotating member and the sheet material 15 decreases in the thickness direction. Therefore, each of the one-side opening / closing mechanism and the other-side opening / closing mechanism can close the inner space of the cylindrical container 2 to the extent that the processing gas can be filled into the cylindrical container 2.

[0050] As shown in Figure 5, the heater 9 of the CVD processing apparatus 5 includes a pair of first heaters 10 and a pair of second heaters 20. As for the specific configuration of the first heater 10, any of the first example, second example, and third example (Figures 3A to 3C) described above may be applied, and in the example of Figure 5, the first heater 10C (10) according to the third example is used. At least a portion of the upper heater 19U is located above the uppermost sheet material 15, and at least a portion of the lower heater 19D is located below the lowest sheet material 15. This makes it possible to equalize the amount of heating among multiple layers of sheet material 15.

[0051] As shown in Figure 6, each of the above-described gas pipes 16 includes a pipe body portion 18 extending axially within the cylindrical container 2, and a plurality of injection ports 17 for injecting the processing gas from within the pipe body portion 18. The pipe body portion 18 is located axially between the rotating member of one side opening / closing mechanism and the rotating member of the other side opening / closing mechanism. An inlet 29 for introducing the processing gas into the pipe body portion 18 is formed at each of the ends 18E of the pipe body portion 18. The processing gas from the piping member 7 (see Figure 4) flows into the inlet 29. The plurality of injection ports 17 are arranged axially spaced apart between the ends 18E. Each injection port 17 penetrates the pipe body portion 18 in the width direction and opens toward the end portion 15e of the sheet material 15 in a top view.

[0052] Returning to Figure 5, the multiple gas pipes 16 are classified into multiple one-sided gas pipes 16I and multiple other-sided gas pipes 16T.

[0053] Multiple one-sided gas pipes 16I are located on one side in the width direction relative to the multiple layers of sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2. The multiple one-sided gas pipes 16I are arranged so as to be spaced apart in the thickness direction, and more specifically, they are arranged so as to be spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical container 2.

[0054] Multiple other-side gas pipes 16T are located on the other side in the width direction relative to the multiple layers of sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2. The multiple other-side gas pipes 16T are arranged so as to be spaced apart in the thickness direction, and more specifically, they are arranged so as to be spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical container 2.

[0055] The number of gas pipes 16I on one side is the same as the number of gas pipes 16T on the other side, and each gas pipe 16I on one side is positioned at the same height as one of the gas pipes 16T on the other side. For example, the highest-positioned gas pipe 16I and gas pipe 16T on one side are above the topmost sheet material 15. Also, the lowest-positioned gas pipe 16I and gas pipe 16T on one side are below the bottommost sheet material 15. Each gas pipe 16I and gas pipe 16T on one side includes the pipe body 18 and multiple nozzles 17 as described above.

[0056] The operation of the CVD processing apparatus 5 shown in Figures 4 and 5 is outlined. When the feed roller 58 and the winding roller 59 are driven by motors, the sheet material 15 with the catalyst layer 13 formed on it is transported into the cylindrical container 2 by the transport roller 50. The catalyst layer 13 may be formed on the sheet material 15 while it is being transported toward the one-side holding roller housing chamber 65, or the sheet material 15 with the catalyst layer 13 already formed on it may be wound onto the feed roll 52. As the sheet material 15 is transported, the one-side holding roller 61 and the other-side holding roller 62 rotate together.

[0057] After the loading of the sheet material 15 is complete, the feed roller 58 and the winding roller 59 stop driving, and the sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2 stops being transported. Then, the one-side opening / closing mechanism and the other-side opening / closing mechanism are activated, closing the space inside the cylindrical container 2 to the extent that it can be filled with processing gas. After the gas inside the cylindrical container 2 is discharged by the exhaust device, processing gas is supplied from the gas pipe 16. More specifically, for each of the one-side gas pipe 16I and the other-side gas pipe 16T, processing gas is introduced into the pipe body 18 from the inlet 29 formed at both ends of the pipe body 18 (arrows B1 and B2 in Figure 6). As a result, the multiple one-side gas pipes 16I and the multiple other-side gas pipes 16T inject processing gas into the cylindrical container 2 from the injection nozzles 17, and the processing gas fills the space inside the cylindrical container 2.

[0058] Before and after the supply of processing gas, the controller 90 performs energization control to allow the heater 9 to generate heat. At this time, the controller 90 controls the amount of energy supplied to the heating element in each of the pair of first heaters 10C (10) between the nine divided sections. For example, in at least one of the one-sided axial split heater 12I, the other-sided axial split heater 12T, or the central-sided axial split heater 12M, the controller 90 may perform energization control so that the amount of heat generated by the lower heater 19D exceeds the amount of heat generated by the upper heater 19U. Alternatively, the controller 90 may perform energization control so that the amount of heat generated by the one-sided axial split heater 12I or the other-sided axial split heater 12T exceeds the amount of heat generated by the central-sided axial split heater 12M. On the other hand, the energization control is the same between the pair of second heaters 20. That is, the amount of heat generated between the pair of second heaters 20 is substantially the same.

[0059] The controller 90 controls the heater 9, causing the temperature inside the cylindrical container 2 to reach a specified temperature. The processing gas inside the cylindrical container 2 undergoes a thermal decomposition reaction, and the carbon atoms contained in the processing gas sequentially move to the catalyst layer 13, gradually growing into CNTs 14. At this time, the catalyst layer 13 promotes the growth of CNTs 14. As a result, CNTs 14 are generated on the surface 15S of the elongated section 15A. Note that the timing of starting the supply of processing gas may be after the temperature inside the cylindrical container 2 has reached the specified temperature. Even in this case, CNTs 14 will still be generated on the surface 15S of the elongated section 15A.

[0060] After the CVD process is complete, the opening / closing mechanisms on one side and the other side return to their original positions, and the space inside the cylindrical container 2 is opened. The sheet material 15 is then wound onto the winding roller 59 by the drive of the conveying roller 50. Before the sheet material 15 is wound onto the winding roller 59, the CNTs 14 on the sheet material 15 may be recovered by a recovery mechanism (not shown). The recovery mechanism recovers the CNTs 14 by scraping them off the sheet material 15 or by sucking them up. Alternatively, the CNTs 14 may be wound onto the winding roller 59.

[0061] With the above configuration, multiple layers of sheet material 15 (multiple layers of elongated sections 15A) are arranged inside the cylindrical container 2, so the amount of sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2 can be increased. Also, since the first heater 10C includes multiple thickness-direction divided heaters 19 that operate independently of each other (see Figure 3C), the temperature can be equalized among the multiple layers of sheet material 15. Specifically, as the processing gas inside the cylindrical container 2 rises in temperature, the lower part of the cylindrical container 2 tends to be relatively cool. However, since the heat output of the lower heater 19D is greater than that of the upper heater 19U, the lower part of the cylindrical container 2 can be sufficiently heated, and the temperature can be equalized among the multiple layers of sheet material 15. As a result, CVD processing can be applied evenly to the multiple layers of sheet material 15.

[0062] Furthermore, since the processing gas is injected from multiple nozzles 17 arranged at intervals in the axial direction, the processing gas fills the cylindrical container 2 evenly. In addition, since inlets 29 are formed at each of the ends 18E of the pipe body 18, the processing gas flows into the pipe body 18 from both sides in the axial direction. Because the pressure of the processing gas inside the pipe body 18 can be made equal in the axial direction, the amount of processing gas injected can be made equal among the multiple nozzles 17. Therefore, the processing gas fills the cylindrical container 2 even more evenly. Thus, uniform CVD processing can be performed on a large amount of sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2.

[0063] Furthermore, if the configuration of the multiple gas pipes 16 includes multiple one-sided gas pipes 16I and multiple other-sided gas pipes 16T, the processing gas can be filled more evenly in the thickness direction (vertical direction in this example) within the cylindrical container 2. This allows for uniform CVD processing on multiple layers of sheet material 15.

[0064] In the CVD processing of this embodiment, the temperature on the surface 15S of the multiple layers of sheet material 15 is equalized, and the processing gas is supplied uniformly to the surface 15S. Therefore, the growth of CNTs 14 on the multiple layers of sheet material 15 can be equalized, and the thickness of the CNTs 14 formed on the surface 15S (in other words, the length of the CNTs 14) can be equalized. This means that variations in various physical properties such as physical properties and mechanical properties of the CNTs 14 produced from the CVD processing apparatus 5 can be suppressed. Thus, the CVD processing apparatus 5 according to this embodiment can produce a large quantity of high-quality CNTs 14. This enables not only the mass production of homogeneous CNT powder, but also the mass production of fibers and films that are substantially 100% CNT by utilizing the van der Waals forces generated by the homogeneity of the CNTs 14.

[0065] <Additional Components of the CVD Processing Apparatus 5> As shown in Figure 7, the housing 30 of the CVD processing apparatus 5 may include a lower housing 30D and an upper housing 30U, which are separate from each other. The inner wall portion 32 of the housing 30 described above is composed of the lower housing 30D and the upper housing 30U, respectively. In detail, the inner wall portion 32 is composed of a lower inner wall portion 32D formed in the lower housing 30D and an upper inner wall portion 32U formed in the upper housing 30U. The CVD processing apparatus 5 may also be equipped with a rotating shaft 36 that serves as the rotation center of the upper housing 30U. The rotating shaft 36 extends in the axial direction of the cylindrical container 2. The rotating shaft 36 may be incorporated into a hinge that connects the lower housing 30D and the upper housing 30U.

[0066] The upper housing 30U is rotatable between a closed position in which the upper inner wall portion 32U covers the lower inner wall portion 32D from above, and an open position in which the upper inner wall portion 32U opens the inner space of the lower inner wall portion 32D upward. When the upper housing 30U is in the open position (see Figure 7), the cylindrical container 2 can be lowered from above into the inner space of the lower housing 30D while maintaining its horizontally extending position. Subsequently, by rotating the upper housing 30U to the closed position, the assembly process for positioning the cylindrical container 2 inside the housing 30 is completed.

[0067] To increase the production efficiency of CNTs 14, it is conceivable to lengthen the cylindrical container 2 in the axial direction to increase the amount of sheet material 15 subject to CVD processing. However, when assembling the CVD processing apparatus 5, if an axially long cylindrical container 2 is inserted into the housing 30, the axial travel distance of the cylindrical container 2 is long, making assembly difficult. For example, there is a risk that the cylindrical container 2 may break when it hits the housing 30 during insertion. If the cylindrical container 2 is made of glass material, the risk of breakage increases even further.

[0068] In this respect, with the above configuration, the assembly process of positioning the cylindrical container 2 is completed by rotating the upper housing 30U to the open position and then lowering the cylindrical container 2 from above. Since the travel distance of the cylindrical container 2 can be shortened, the assembly of the CVD processing apparatus 5 can be simplified.

[0069] <CVD Processing Apparatus 6 According to Another Embodiment> Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a CVD processing apparatus 6 according to another embodiment. In this figure, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the CVD processing apparatus 5 shown in Figures 4 to 6, and their explanations may be omitted or simplified below.

[0070] The CVD processing apparatus 6 comprises a cylindrical container 2, a plurality of gas pipes 16, and a heating device 80. The heating device 80 is configured to heat the inside of the cylindrical container 2 and is housed inside the casing 30. The heating device 80 may be the same as the heater 9 shown in Figure 4, or it may have a different configuration from the heater 9.

[0071] Each of the multiple gas pipes 16 includes a pipe body portion 18 that extends axially within the cylindrical container 2, and a plurality of injection ports 17 formed in the pipe body portion 18. With this configuration, since the processing gas is injected from the plurality of injection ports 17, uniform CVD processing can be performed on the sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2. In addition, since the elongated sheet material 15 is transported into the cylindrical container 2 by the conveyor rollers 50, the sheet material 15 to be processed can be easily arranged in the cylindrical container 2. Furthermore, by arranging multiple layers of sheet material 15 in the cylindrical container 2, the amount of sheet material 15 inside the cylindrical container 2 can be further increased.

[0072] The CVD processing apparatus 6 in Figure 8 may be configured to perform plasma CVD (PECVD) processing on a sheet material 15. In this case, the heating device 80 may be a discharge device for creating a plasma state in the processing gas filling the cylindrical container 2. The discharge device may include a pair of electrodes facing each other in the cylindrical container 2 and a high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency voltage to the pair of electrodes. Plasma CVD processing may be used when forming a thin film on a semiconductor substrate. The sheet material 15 may be a flexible semiconductor substrate, and the processing gas may be silane (SiH ４ ) or tungsten hexafluoride (WF ６ ) may also be included. In addition, the gas pipe 16 may supply a carrier gas such as hydrogen gas, argon gas, or nitrogen gas into the cylindrical container 2 together with the processing gas.

[0073] The CVD processing apparatus 6 in Figure 8 may be configured to perform photo-CVD processing on the sheet material 15. In this case, the CVD processing apparatus 6 may include an irradiation device in addition to / instead of the heating device 80. The irradiation device is configured to irradiate ultraviolet light or a laser to photodecompose the processing gas filling the cylindrical container 2. Photo-CVD processing may be used when forming a thin film on a semiconductor substrate. In this case, the processing gas is silane (SiH ４ ), methylsilane ((CH ３ ) ２ SiHCl), or diborane (B ２ H ６ ) may be included.

[0074] <CVD Processing Apparatus 100 According to Another Embodiment> Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a CVD processing apparatus 100 according to another embodiment. In this figure, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the CVD processing apparatus 5 shown in Figures 4 to 6, and their explanations may be omitted or simplified below. The CVD processing apparatus 100 does not have multiple gas pipes 16 (see Figure 4), and the structure for supplying processing gas to the cylindrical container 2 differs between the CVD processing apparatus 5 and 100.

[0075] The CVD processing apparatus 100 comprises the sheet material heating device 1 described above, a first annular connecting member 110 connected to the first end 2a in the axial direction of the cylindrical container 2, and an introduction pipe 118 (see Figure 10) connected to the first annular connecting member 110. In the following description, the circumferential direction of the cylindrical container 2 may be abbreviated as "circumferential direction".

[0076] The first annular connecting member 110 is interposed between the cylindrical container 2 and the one-side holding roller housing chamber 65. The first annular connecting member 110 includes a first annular wall portion 115 that defines a first wall cavity space 110S through which the sheet material 15 passes. The first wall cavity space 110S communicates with the space inside the cylindrical container 2 and the space inside the one-side holding roller housing chamber 65.

[0077] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the first annular connecting member 110 as viewed along the axial direction. The first annular wall portion 115 has an annular shape that extends in the circumferential direction. A first hole portion 111 is formed in the first annular wall portion 115. The first hole portion 111 penetrates the first annular wall portion 115 along its wall thickness direction, and, as a more specific example, penetrates the first annular wall portion 115 along the horizontal direction. In the example of Figure 10, there are two first holes portion 111, and the two first holes portion 111 are arranged side by side in the width direction with the sheet material 15 in between.

[0078] The inner surface 116 of the first annular wall portion 115 is a curved surface extending along the circumferential direction, and each first hole portion 111 includes a first opening 113 formed on the inner surface 116. The first opening 113 is exposed to the space 110S inside the first wall and has a circular shape.

[0079] In this example, two inlet pipes 118 are provided. The two inlet pipes 118 are connected to two first holes 111, respectively. In a more specific example, a first pipe member is connected to each first hole 111, and each inlet pipe 118 is connected to the first pipe member. In another example, each inlet pipe 118 may be directly press-fitted into each first hole 111.

[0080] The two inlet pipes 118 are connected to a treatment gas supply pipe 119, which is connected to a treatment gas supply source. Each inlet pipe 118 is configured to guide the treatment gas from the supply pipe 119 into the first wall space 110S. The inner diameter of the inlet pipes 118 may be larger than the inner diameter of the supply pipe 119. This allows the inner diameter of the first opening 113 to be increased. Since the treatment gas can be supplied over a wide area within the first wall space 110S, the treatment gas can easily spread throughout the space inside the cylindrical container 2.

[0081] The number of first holes 111 and introduction pipes 118 may be one or three or more. Furthermore, the first holes 111 may penetrate the first annular wall portion 115 in the vertical direction.

[0082] Returning to Figure 9, the CVD processing apparatus 100 further comprises a second annular connecting member 120 connected to the second end 2b in the axial direction of the cylindrical container 2, and a discharge pipe 128 (see Figure 11) connected to the second annular connecting member 120. Note that the second end 2b of the cylindrical container 2 is the end opposite to the first end 2a.

[0083] The second annular connecting member 120 is interposed between the cylindrical container 2 and the other side retaining roller housing chamber 66. The second annular connecting member 120 includes a second annular wall portion 125 that defines a second wall cavity space 120S through which the sheet material 15 passes. The second wall cavity space 120S communicates with the space inside the cylindrical container 2 and the space inside the other side retaining roller housing chamber 66.

[0084] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the second annular connecting member 120 as viewed along the axial direction. The second annular wall portion 125 has an annular shape that extends in the circumferential direction. A second hole portion 121 is formed in the second annular wall portion 125. The second hole portion 121 penetrates the second annular wall portion 125 along its wall thickness direction, and, as a more specific example, penetrates the second annular wall portion 125 along the horizontal direction. In the example of Figure 11, there are two second holes portion 121, and the two second holes portion 121 are arranged side by side in the width direction with the sheet material 15 in between.

[0085] The inner surface 126 of the second annular wall portion 125 is a curved surface extending along the circumferential direction, and each second hole portion 121 includes a second opening 123 formed on the inner surface 126. The second opening 123 is exposed to the space 120S inside the second wall and has a circular shape.

[0086] In this example, two discharge pipes 128 are provided. The two discharge pipes 128 are connected to two second holes 121, respectively. In a more specific example, a second pipe member is connected to each second hole 121, and each discharge pipe 128 is connected to the second pipe member. In another example, each discharge pipe 128 may be directly pressed into each second hole 121. Each discharge pipe 128 is connected to a suction pump, and when the suction pump is operated, each discharge pipe 128 discharges the processing gas in the second wall space 120S.

[0087] The number of second holes 121 and discharge pipes 128 may be one or three or more. Furthermore, the second holes 121 may penetrate the second annular wall 125 in the vertical direction.

[0088] According to the inventor's findings, even when a method is adopted in which the processing gas is supplied into the cylindrical container 2 from the first hole 111, the processing gas can be evenly filled into the cylindrical container 2, just as when a method is adopted in which the processing gas is supplied from a gas pipe 16 (see Figure 4) placed inside the cylindrical container 2.

[0089] Furthermore, if the former method is adopted, the gas pipe 16 inside the cylindrical container 2 can be made unnecessary, thereby improving the ease of assembly of the CVD processing apparatus 100. As a more specific example, if the cylindrical container 2 and the gas pipe 16 are made of glass material, there is a risk that the cylindrical container 2 or the gas pipe 16 may be damaged if the gas pipe 16 (see Figure 4) hits the cylindrical container 2 when it is installed. As the widthwise dimension of the sheet material 15 placed inside the cylindrical container 2 increases, the gas pipe 16 needs to be closer to the inner surface of the cylindrical container 2 in order to secure the transport path C of the sheet material 15, and the risk of the gas pipe 16 hitting the cylindrical container 2, i.e., the risk of damage to the cylindrical container 2 or the gas pipe 16, increases. In this respect, according to this embodiment in which the gas pipe 16 is made unnecessary, the risk of damage to the cylindrical container 2 or the gas pipe 16 can be reduced, and the ease of assembly of the CVD processing apparatus 100 can be improved.

[0090] Based on the above, a CVD processing apparatus 100 is provided that can evenly fill the cylindrical container 2 with processing gas and has improved ease of assembly. Note that the CVD processing apparatus 100 does not necessarily need to be equipped with a heater 9. Even without a heater 9, CVD processing such as the aforementioned photo-CVD processing can be performed, and the above technical advantages can be obtained.

[0091] Furthermore, with a configuration that allows the processing gas in the second wall space 120S to be discharged from the second hole 121, the gas pipe 16 inside the cylindrical container 2 can be eliminated, thus enabling the processing gas to be discharged with a simple configuration.

[0092] Returning to Figure 9, the multiple one-sided retaining rollers 61 described above are positioned in the axial direction opposite to the cylindrical container 2 side with respect to the first hole 111 (see Figure 10). In other words, the first hole 111 is located between the one-sided retaining rollers 61 and the cylindrical container 2 in the axial direction. The multiple other-sided retaining rollers 62 described above are positioned in the axial direction opposite to the cylindrical container 2 side with respect to the second hole 121 (see Figure 11). In other words, the second hole 121 is located between the other-sided retaining rollers 62 and the cylindrical container 2 in the axial direction. The multiple other-sided retaining rollers 62 and the multiple one-sided retaining rollers 61 are arranged alternately along the thickness direction of the sheet material 15. The sheet material 15 is held in a folded position by each other-sided retaining roller 62 and each one-sided retaining roller 61.

[0093] According to the above configuration, the processing gas is heated by the heater 9 as it passes from the first wall space 110S through the space inside the cylindrical container 2, and then flows through the second wall space 120S to the discharge pipe 128. Since it is possible to suppress the high temperature processing gas from reaching the one-sided holding roller 61 and the other-sided holding roller 62, the one-sided holding roller 61 and the other-sided holding roller 62 can be thermally protected. In addition, since there are multiple one-sided holding rollers 61 and multiple other-sided holding rollers 62, the amount of sheet material 15 to be processed in one CVD treatment can be increased, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the CVD processing apparatus 100.

[0094] In the embodiments shown in Figures 9 to 11, the first annular connecting member 110 is an example of the "first connecting member" of this disclosure, the first annular wall portion 115 is an example of the "first main body wall portion" of this disclosure, the first wall cavity 110S is an example of the "first space" of this disclosure, the first hole portion 111 is an example of the "first connecting hole portion" of this disclosure, the second annular connecting member 120 is an example of the "second connecting member" of this disclosure, the second annular wall portion 125 is an example of the "second main body wall portion" of this disclosure, the second wall cavity 120S is an example of the "second space" of this disclosure, the second hole portion 121 is an example of the "second connecting hole portion" of this disclosure, the one-sided retaining roller 61 is an example of the "first retaining roller" of this disclosure, and the other-sided retaining roller 62 is an example of the "second retaining roller" of this disclosure.

[0095] The inlet pipe 118 may be connected to the second annular connecting member 120, and the outlet pipe 128 may be connected to the first annular connecting member 110. In this case, the second annular connecting member 120 is an example of the "first connecting member" of this disclosure, the second annular wall portion 125 is an example of the "first main body wall portion" of this disclosure, the second wall cavity 120S is an example of the "first space" of this disclosure, the second hole portion 121 is an example of the "first connecting hole portion" of this disclosure, the first annular connecting member 110 is an example of the "second connecting member" of this disclosure, the first annular wall portion 115 is an example of the "second main body wall portion" of this disclosure, the first wall cavity 110S is an example of the "second space" of this disclosure, the first hole portion 111 is an example of the "second connecting hole portion" of this disclosure, the other-side retaining roller 62 is an example of the "first retaining roller" of this disclosure, and the one-side retaining roller 61 is an example of the "second retaining roller" of this disclosure.

[0096] <CVD Processing Apparatus 101 According to Another Embodiment> Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a CVD processing apparatus 101 according to another embodiment. In this figure, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the CVD processing apparatus 100 of Figure 9, and their explanations may be omitted or simplified below.

[0097] In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, the inlet pipe 118 is connected to the one-side retaining roller housing chamber 65, and the discharge pipe 128 is connected to the other-side retaining roller housing chamber 66. The one-side retaining roller housing chamber 65 is connected to the first end 2a of the cylindrical container 2 via the first annular connecting member 110, and the other-side retaining roller housing chamber 66 is connected to the second end 2b of the cylindrical container 2 via the second annular connecting member 120.

[0098] In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, the one-side holding roller housing chamber 65 includes a one-side main body wall 160, which defines a one-side space 160S through which the sheet material 15 passes. The one-side main body wall 160 has an upper wall 161, and a one-side connecting hole 163 is formed in the upper wall 161. The one-side connecting hole 163 penetrates the upper wall 161 in the direction of its wall thickness and is connected to the introduction pipe 118. The one-side connecting hole 163 is located axially between the cylindrical container 2 and the one-side holding roller 61.

[0099] The other-side holding roller housing chamber 66 includes the other-side main body wall 170, which defines the other-side space 170S through which the sheet material 15 passes. The other-side main body wall 170 has an upper wall 172, and the upper wall 172 has a other-side connecting hole 173 formed therein. The other-side connecting hole 173 penetrates the upper wall 172 in the direction of its wall thickness and is connected to the discharge pipe 128. The other-side connecting hole 173 is located axially between the cylindrical container 2 and the other-side holding roller 62.

[0100] In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, the one-side retaining roller housing chamber 65 is an example of the "first connecting member" of this disclosure, the one-side main body wall portion 160 is an example of the "first main body wall portion" of this disclosure, the one-side connecting hole portion 163 is an example of the "first connecting hole portion" of this disclosure, the one-side space 160S is an example of the "first space" of this disclosure, the other-side retaining roller housing chamber 66 is an example of the "second connecting member" of this disclosure, the other-side main body wall portion 170 is an example of the "second main body wall portion" of this disclosure, the other-side connecting hole portion 173 is an example of the "second connecting hole portion" of this disclosure, the other-side space 170S is an example of the "second space" of this disclosure, the one-side retaining roller 61 is an example of the "first retaining roller" of this disclosure, and the other-side retaining roller 62 is an example of the "second retaining roller" of this disclosure.

[0101] <Other> The conveyor roller 50 shown in Figure 4 may be incorporated into the CVD processing apparatus 5. In other words, the CVD processing apparatus 5 may be equipped with the conveyor roller 50. In this case, the CVD processing apparatus 5 will be equipped with the sheet material 15 as a component. Similarly, the conveyor roller 50 shown in Figure 8 may be incorporated into the CVD processing apparatus 6. The number of gas pipes 16 shown in Figures 4 and 6 may be as few as one. That is, the CVD processing apparatus 5 and the CVD processing apparatus 6 only need to be equipped with at least one gas pipe 16.

[0102] The CVD processing apparatus 5 and 6 illustrated in Figures 4 and 8 do not necessarily have to include a one-sided holding roller 61 and a other-sided holding roller 62. For example, a configuration in which each of the multiple sheet materials 15 is loaded into a cylindrical container 2 may be adopted. Specifically, multiple dispensing rollers 58 may be arranged in a first direction on one side of the cylindrical container 2, and multiple winding rollers 59 may be arranged in the first direction on the other side of the cylindrical container 2. In this case, multiple sheet materials 15 are dispensed from each of the multiple dispensing rollers 58 and loaded into the cylindrical container 2. Then, the multiple sheet materials 15 discharged from the cylindrical container 2 are each wound up by the multiple winding rollers 59.

[0103] The controller 90 shown in Figure 1 and other figures is comprised of a computer and includes a processor, memory (storage medium), and an external communication interface. The processor is a CPU, GPU, MPU, DSP, or a combination thereof. In other embodiments, the processor may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as a PLD, ASIC, FPGA, or MCU. The memory is configured to store various data temporarily or permanently and is implemented by, for example, at least one of RAM, ROM, or flash memory. The processor executes various control processes according to the instructions of the program loaded into the memory.

[0104] <Summary> The contents described in the above-mentioned embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows:

[0105] 1) A sheet material heating device (1) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a sheet material heating device for heating a long sheet material that is transported along a predetermined transport path (C) by a transport roller (50), comprising: a cylindrical container (2) configured to receive the sheet material; and a heater (9) for heating the inside of the cylindrical container, wherein the heater comprises: a pair of first heaters (10) arranged to be aligned along the width direction of the sheet material with the cylindrical container in between, each having a first heater surface (11) extending perpendicular to the width direction; and a pair of second heaters (20) arranged to be aligned along the thickness direction of the sheet material with the cylindrical container in between, each having a second heater surface (22) extending perpendicular to the thickness direction.

[0106] According to the configuration described in 1) above, since long sheet materials are loaded into the cylindrical container, a large quantity of sheet materials can be easily placed in the cylindrical container. Furthermore, each first heater surface is substantially parallel to the end (edge ​​portion 15e) in the width direction of the sheet material, and each second heater surface is substantially parallel to the surface (15S) of the sheet material. Therefore, the heater can heat the sheet material in the cylindrical container uniformly. Thus, a sheet material heating device is realized that can easily place a large quantity of sheet material to be heated in a cylindrical container and heat the sheet material uniformly.

[0107] 2) In some embodiments, the sheet material heating device described in 1) above, wherein each of the pair of first heaters includes a plurality of axially divided heaters (12) arranged in the axial direction of the cylindrical container and configured to operate independently of each other.

[0108] According to the configuration described in 2) above, the amount of heat generated in each of the multiple axially divided heaters can be adjusted, thereby making the temperature of the sheet material inside the cylindrical container uniform in the axial direction.

[0109] 3) In some embodiments, the sheet material heating device is as described in 2) above, wherein the plurality of axially divided heaters include: a one-side axially divided heater (12I) positioned on one side in the axial direction with respect to the axial center of the cylindrical container; a other-side axially divided heater (12T) positioned on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the axial center; and a central-side axially divided heater (12M) positioned between the one-side axially divided heater and the other-side axially divided heater, wherein the central-side axially divided heater is longer in the axial direction than each of the one-side axially divided heater and the other-side axially divided heater.

[0110] According to the inventor's findings, while the amount of heat fluctuation is relatively large at both ends in the axial direction of a cylindrical container, the amount of heat fluctuation is relatively small between the two ends. With the configuration described in 3) above, a central axially divided heater that is long in the axial direction is placed in the axial range where the amount of heat fluctuation is relatively small. Since the number of axially divided heaters can be reduced, the heater configuration of the sheet material heating device can be simplified.

[0111] 4) In some embodiments, a sheet material heating device according to any one of 1) to 3) above, wherein the cylindrical container is configured such that a plurality of layers of the sheet material are arranged at intervals in the thickness direction, and each of the pair of first heaters includes a plurality of thickness-direction divided heaters (19) arranged in line in the thickness direction and configured to operate independently of each other.

[0112] According to the configuration described in 4) above, multiple layers of sheet material are arranged inside the cylindrical container, thus increasing the amount of sheet material inside the cylindrical container. Furthermore, since each first heater includes multiple thickness-dividing heaters, the temperature can be equalized among the multiple layers of sheet material inside the cylindrical container. This allows for uniform CVD processing to be applied to the multiple layers of sheet material.

[0113] 5) In some embodiments, the sheet material heating device described in 4) further comprises a controller (90) for controlling the plurality of thickness-direction divided heaters, wherein the thickness direction is a direction along the vertical direction, and the plurality of thickness-direction divided heaters include a lower heater (19D) and an upper heater (19U), and the controller is configured to control the lower heater and the upper heater such that the amount of heat generated by the lower heater is greater than the amount of heat generated by the upper heater.

[0114] According to the configuration described in 5) above, the lower heater can adequately heat the lower part of the cylindrical container, which tends to become colder. Therefore, the temperature of the multiple layers of sheet material can be made uniform.

[0115] 6) A CVD processing apparatus (5) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a CVD processing apparatus comprising a sheet material heating apparatus (1) according to any one of 1) to 5) above, and at least one gas pipe (16) configured to guide a processing gas for use in CVD processing of the sheet material into the cylindrical container, wherein each of the at least one gas pipe includes a pipe body portion (18) extending in the axial direction of the cylindrical container within the cylindrical container, and a plurality of injection ports (17) for injecting the processing gas in the pipe body portion, which are spaced apart in the axial direction.

[0116] According to the configuration in 6) above, the same technical advantages as in 1) above can be obtained. Furthermore, since the processing gas is injected from multiple nozzles arranged at intervals in the axial direction, the processing gas is evenly filled inside the cylindrical container. This makes it possible to perform uniform CVD processing on a large amount of sheet material inside the cylindrical container.

[0117] 7) In some embodiments, the CVD processing apparatus described in 6) above, wherein each of the ends (18E) of the pipe body is provided with an inlet (29) for introducing the processing gas.

[0118] According to the configuration described in 7) above, the pressure of the processing gas within the pipe body can be made uniform in the axial direction. This makes it possible to equalize the amount of processing gas injected between multiple injection ports. Therefore, more uniform CVD processing can be performed on the sheet material inside the cylindrical container.

[0119] 8) In some embodiments, the CVD apparatus described in 6) or 7) above, wherein the cylindrical container is configured such that a plurality of layers of the sheet material are arranged at intervals in the thickness direction, and the at least one gas pipe includes a plurality of one-side gas pipes (16I) arranged at intervals in the thickness direction on one side in the width direction with respect to the sheet material in the cylindrical container, and a plurality of other-side gas pipes (16T) arranged at intervals in the thickness direction on the other side in the width direction with respect to the sheet material in the cylindrical container.

[0120] According to the configuration described in 8) above, the processing gas can be filled even more uniformly in the thickness direction within the cylindrical container. This allows for uniform CVD processing on multiple layers of sheet material.

[0121] 9) A CVD processing apparatus (100, 101) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a sheet material heating apparatus (1) as described in any of 1) to 5) above; a first connecting member (66, 110, 120) connected to the first end (2a) of the cylindrical container, having a first main body wall portion (115, 125, 160) defining a first space (110S, 120S, 160S) through which the sheet material passes; and an introduction pipe (118) configured to guide a processing gas for use in CVD processing of the sheet material into the first space, and connected to a first connecting hole portion (111, 121, 163) that penetrates the first main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

[0122] According to the inventor's findings, even when a method is adopted in which the processing gas is supplied into the cylindrical container from the first connecting hole, the processing gas can be evenly filled into the cylindrical container, just as when a method is adopted in which the processing gas is supplied from a gas pipe placed inside the cylindrical container. Furthermore, when the former method is adopted, the gas pipe inside the cylindrical container can be eliminated, thereby improving the ease of assembly of the CVD processing apparatus. Therefore, according to the configuration of 9) above, a CVD processing apparatus is provided that can evenly fill the cylindrical container with processing gas and has improved ease of assembly.

[0123] 10) In some embodiments, the CVD processing apparatus described in 9) above further comprises a second connecting member (65, 110, 120) connected to the second end (2b) of the cylindrical container, having a second main body wall portion (115, 125, 170) defining a second space (110S, 120S, 170S) through which the sheet material passes, and a discharge pipe (128) configured to discharge the processing gas in the second space, connected to a second connecting hole portion (111, 121, 173) penetrating the second main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

[0124] According to the configuration described in item 10) above, the processing gas inside the cylindrical container can be discharged with a simple configuration.

[0125] 11) In some embodiments, the CVD processing apparatus described in 10) further comprises: at least one first retaining roller (61, 62) for holding the sheet material, which is positioned in the axial direction of the cylindrical container on the side opposite to the cylindrical container with respect to the first connecting hole; and at least one second retaining roller (61, 62) for holding the sheet material, which is positioned in the axial direction on the side opposite to the cylindrical container with respect to the second connecting hole.

[0126] According to the configuration described in 11) above, the processing gas is heated by a heater as it passes from the first space through the space inside the cylindrical container, and then flows through the second space to the discharge pipe. Since it is possible to prevent the high-temperature processing gas from reaching the first and second holding rollers, the first and second holding rollers can be thermally protected.

[0127] 12) In some embodiments, the CVD apparatus described in 11) above, wherein the at least one first holding roller is a plurality of first holding rollers spaced apart along the thickness direction of the sheet material in the cylindrical container, and the at least one second holding roller is a plurality of second holding rollers arranged alternately with the plurality of first holding rollers along the thickness direction, and the sheet material is held in a folded position by each of the first holding rollers and each of the second holding rollers.

[0128] According to the configuration described in 12) above, a large amount of sheet material can be processed in a single CVD treatment, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the CVD processing apparatus.

[0129] 13) A CVD processing apparatus (6) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a CVD processing apparatus for performing CVD processing on a long sheet material that is transported along a predetermined transport path (C) by a transport roller (50), comprising: a cylindrical container (2) configured to receive the sheet material; and at least one gas pipe (16) configured to guide a processing gas for use in the CVD processing into the cylindrical container, each of the at least one gas pipe comprising: a pipe body portion (18) extending in the axial direction of the cylindrical container within the cylindrical container; and a plurality of injection ports (17) for injecting the processing gas within the pipe body portion, the plurality of injection ports (17) arranged at intervals in the axial direction.

[0130] According to the configuration described in 13) above, since long sheet materials are brought into the cylindrical container, a large quantity of sheet materials to be subjected to CVD processing can be easily placed in the cylindrical container. In addition, since the processing gas is injected from multiple nozzles arranged at intervals in the axial direction, the processing gas is evenly filled inside the cylindrical container. As a result, uniform CVD processing can be performed on the sheet materials inside the cylindrical container.

[0131] 14) A CVD processing apparatus (100, 101) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a CVD processing apparatus for performing CVD processing on a long sheet material (15) that is transported along a predetermined transport path (C) by a transport roller (50), comprising: a cylindrical container (2) configured to receive the sheet material; a first connecting member (66, 110, 120) connected to a first end (2a) of the cylindrical container, having a first main body wall portion (115, 125, 160) that defines a first space (110S, 120S, 160S) through which the sheet material passes; and an introduction pipe (118) configured to introduce a processing gas for use in the CVD processing of the sheet material into the first space, and connected to a first connecting hole portion (111, 121, 163) that penetrates the first main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

[0132] According to the inventor's findings, even when a method is adopted in which the processing gas is supplied into the cylindrical container from the first connecting hole, the processing gas can be evenly filled into the cylindrical container, just as when a method is adopted in which the processing gas is supplied from a gas pipe placed inside the cylindrical container. Furthermore, when the former method is adopted, the gas pipe inside the cylindrical container can be eliminated, thereby improving the ease of assembly of the CVD processing apparatus. Therefore, according to the configuration of 14) above, a CVD processing apparatus is provided that can evenly fill the cylindrical container with processing gas and has improved ease of assembly.

[0133] 1: Sheet material heating device 2: Cylindrical container 5, 6, 100, 101: CVD processing device 7: Piping member 9: Heater 10A, 10B, 10C (10): First heater 11: First heater surface 12: Axial split heater 12I: One-sided axial split heater 12M: Center-side axial split heater 12T: Other-sided axial split heater 13: Catalyst layer 14: Carbon nanotube 15: Sheet material 15A: Long section 15S: Surface 15a: First surface 15b: Second surface 15e: End section 16: Gas pipe 16I: One-sided gas pipe 16T: Other-sided gas pipe 17: Injection nozzle 18: Pipe body section 18E: Both ends 19 : Thickness-direction divided heater 19D : Lower heater 19M : Center heater 19U : Upper heater 20 : Second heater 22 : Second heater surface 29 : Inlet 30 : Housing 30D : Lower housing 30U : Upper housing 31 : Outer wall section 32 : Inner wall section 32D : Lower inner wall section 32U : Upper inner wall section 32a : First inner wall section 32b : Second inner wall section 35 : Wall section opening 35a : First wall thickness opening 35b : Second wall thickness opening 36 : Rotating shaft 38 : Container housing space 39 : Heater housing space 50 : Conveyor roller 52 : Feed roll 53 : Take-up roll 58 : Feed roller 59 : Take-up roller 61 : One-sided retaining roller 62 : Other-sided retaining roller 65 : One-sided retaining roller housing chamber 66 : Other-sided retaining roller housing chamber 80 : Heating device 90 : Controller 110 : First annular connecting member 110S : First wall space 111 : First hole 113 : First opening 115 : First annular wall portion 116 : Inner surface 118 : Inlet pipe 119 : Supply pipe 120 : Second annular connecting member 120S : Second wall space 121 : Second hole 123 : Second opening 125 : Second annular wall portion 126 : Inner surface 128 : Discharge pipe 160 : One-sided main body wall portion 160S : One-sided space 161, 172 : Upper wall portion 163 : One-sided connecting hole portion 170 : Other side main body wall section 170S : Other side space 173 : Other side connecting hole section C : Conveying path

Claims

1. A sheet material heating device for heating a long sheet material that is transported along a predetermined transport path by transport rollers, comprising: a cylindrical container configured to receive the sheet material; and a heater for heating the inside of the cylindrical container, wherein the heater comprises: a pair of first heaters arranged side by side along the width direction of the sheet material with the cylindrical container in between, each having a first heater surface extending perpendicular to the width direction; and a pair of second heaters arranged side by side along the thickness direction of the sheet material with the cylindrical container in between, each having a second heater surface extending perpendicular to the thickness direction.

2. The sheet material heating device according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of first heaters comprises a plurality of axially divided heaters arranged to be aligned in the axial direction of the cylindrical container and configured to operate independently of each other.

3. The sheet material heating device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of axially divided heaters comprises: a one-side axially divided heater disposed on one side in the axial direction with respect to the axial center of the cylindrical container; a other-side axially divided heater disposed on the other side in the axial direction with respect to the axial center; and a central-side axially divided heater located between the one-side axially divided heater and the other-side axially divided heater, wherein the central-side axially divided heater is longer in the axial direction than each of the one-side axially divided heater and the other-side axially divided heater.

4. The sheet material heating device according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical container is configured such that multiple layers of the sheet material are arranged at intervals in the thickness direction, and each of the pair of first heaters includes a plurality of thickness-direction dividing heaters arranged in line in the thickness direction and configured to operate independently of each other.

5. The sheet material heating device according to claim 4, further comprising a controller for controlling the plurality of thickness-direction divided heaters, wherein the thickness direction is a direction along the vertical direction, the plurality of thickness-direction divided heaters include a lower heater and an upper heater, and the controller is configured to control the lower heater and the upper heater such that the amount of heat generated by the lower heater is greater than the amount of heat generated by the upper heater.

6. A CVD apparatus comprising a sheet material heating device as described in claim 1, and at least one gas pipe configured to guide a processing gas for use in CVD processing of the sheet material into the cylindrical container, wherein each of the at least one gas pipe includes a pipe body portion extending in the axial direction of the cylindrical container within the cylindrical container, and a plurality of injection ports for injecting the processing gas within the pipe body portion, the plurality of injection ports arranged at intervals in the axial direction.

7. The CVD apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an inlet for introducing the processing gas is formed at each end of the pipe body.

8. The CVD apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cylindrical container is configured such that a plurality of layers of the sheet material are arranged at intervals in the thickness direction, and the at least one gas pipe comprises a plurality of one-side gas pipes arranged at intervals in the thickness direction on one side in the width direction relative to the sheet material in the cylindrical container, and a plurality of other-side gas pipes arranged at intervals in the thickness direction on the other side in the width direction relative to the sheet material in the cylindrical container.

9. A CVD apparatus comprising: a sheet material heating device according to claim 1; a first connecting member connected to the first end of the cylindrical container, the first connecting member having a first main body wall portion that defines a first space through which the sheet material passes; and an introduction pipe configured to guide a processing gas for use in CVD processing of the sheet material into the first space, the introduction pipe being connected to a first connecting hole portion that penetrates the first main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

10. The CVD apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a second connecting member connected to the second end of the cylindrical container, the second connecting member having a second main body wall portion defining a second space through which the sheet material passes; and a discharge pipe configured to discharge the processing gas in the second space, the discharge pipe connected to a second connecting hole portion penetrating the second main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

11. The CVD apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: at least one first retaining roller positioned in the axial direction of the cylindrical container on the side opposite to the cylindrical container with respect to the first connecting hole, for holding the sheet material; and at least one second retaining roller positioned in the axial direction on the side opposite to the cylindrical container with respect to the second connecting hole, for holding the sheet material.

12. The CVD apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one first holding roller is a plurality of first holding rollers arranged at intervals along the thickness direction of the sheet material in the cylindrical container, the at least one second holding roller is a plurality of second holding rollers arranged alternately with the plurality of first holding rollers along the thickness direction, and the sheet material is held in a folded position by each of the first holding rollers and each of the second holding rollers.

13. A CVD apparatus for performing CVD processing on a long sheet material that is transported along a predetermined transport path by transport rollers, comprising: a cylindrical container configured to receive the sheet material; and at least one gas pipe configured to guide a processing gas for use in the CVD processing into the cylindrical container, wherein each of the at least one gas pipe includes: a pipe body portion extending along the axial direction of the cylindrical container within the cylindrical container; and a plurality of injection ports for injecting the processing gas within the pipe body portion, the plurality of injection ports arranged at intervals in the axial direction.

14. A CVD apparatus for performing CVD treatment on a long sheet material that is transported along a predetermined transport path by transport rollers, comprising: a cylindrical container configured to receive the sheet material; a first connecting member connected to a first end of the cylindrical container, the first connecting member having a first main body wall portion that defines a first space through which the sheet material passes; and an introduction pipe configured to guide a processing gas for use in the CVD treatment of the sheet material into the first space, the introduction pipe connected to a first connecting hole portion that penetrates the first main body wall portion along the wall thickness direction.

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