JP4914791B2 - Vacuum film forming apparatus, resin film vacuum film forming method, and resin film - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum film forming apparatus for depositing a thin film such as a transparent conductive film on a resin film in a vacuum container, a vacuum film forming method for a resin film using the vacuum film forming apparatus, and the vacuum film forming method. This relates to a resin film on which a thin film is formed.

  As such a vacuum film forming apparatus and a vacuum film forming method for forming a thin film on a resin film, for example, Patent Document 1 gives oxygen barrier properties and moisture resistance to plastic films used for pharmaceuticals, food packaging materials, and the like. In order to achieve this, there is disclosed a method in which a metal such as aluminum or a metal oxide is vacuum deposited by electron beam heating of a deposition material.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a metal oxide thin film such as titanium oxide is deposited by various means such as vapor deposition, sputtering, and CVD in order to improve the barrier property in such a packaging material or the optical characteristics of the antireflection film. Further, in Patent Document 3, it is proposed that a titanium oxide thin film is deposited in the same manner as described in Patent Document 3, and simultaneously irradiating oxygen radicals and oxygen ions from a radical beam generation source and an ion beam generation source.

On the other hand, in recent years, an ITO (indium, tin oxide) thin film having a low resistance and a high visible light transmittance has been attracting attention as a thin film constituting an electrode of a liquid crystal display or the like. For example, in Patent Documents 4 and 5, a vacuum process is performed in which a plasma beam generated from a plasma gun is introduced into a hearth (crucible) holding an ITO vapor deposition material to form an ITO transparent conductive film on a glass substrate or a plastic substrate. A film apparatus and a vacuum film forming method have been proposed.
JP-A-2-250953 JP 2002-60931 A JP 2002-327267 A JP 2002-30423 A JP 2003-141947 A

  Among these, the most common method for forming the transparent conductive film as described above is, for example, sputtering described in Patent Document 2. However, if this is applied to the formation of an ITO thin film on a resin film to obtain an ITO thin film having a low resistance and a high transmittance, the temperature of the resin film needs to be 150 ° C. or higher, which is above its softening point. Then, the resin film becomes soft and film formation becomes difficult.

  In addition, in order to achieve uniform film formation on a wide film, a film-forming material having a length as long as the film width is required. In particular, when an ITO thin film containing expensive indium is formed, the cost is extremely high. Become. Further, sputtering has a problem that the film forming speed cannot be increased due to its principle. This is the same as in simple vacuum deposition by electron beam heating described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Documents 1 and 3 as well. It is.

  On the other hand, in the methods described in Patent Documents 4 and 5, the evaporation material is evaporated and ionized simultaneously by the plasma beam, so that the ionization efficiency is high and a film formation rate higher than that of sputtering or simple evaporation is obtained. be able to. However, since evaporation and ionization of the vapor deposition material cannot be controlled independently, it is difficult to control the ratio between the amount of evaporation and the amount of ionization that determines the film quality, resulting in lower resistance and higher transmittance. There is a problem that it is difficult to obtain a thin film.

  In principle, this method naturally raises the substrate temperature even if the radiation of the evaporation source is not heated, so that if it is applied to film formation on a resin film, the film may be softened. Furthermore, since most of the plasma energy flows into the hearth, the ionization effect of the evaporated substance on the substrate is small, and in order to obtain a higher film formation rate, a positive potential is applied to the substrate side to obtain this ionization effect. As a result, the structure of the film forming apparatus is complicated. For example, a power supply dedicated to bias application is required.

  The present invention has been made under such a background. In particular, when a transparent conductive film such as the above-mentioned ITO thin film is formed on a resin film, the film is formed at a temperature below the softening point of the resin film. Of course, uniform and high-speed film formation is possible at a relatively low cost, and the evaporation amount and the ionization amount of the deposition material are controlled independently and reliably, so that the resistance is low and transmission is possible. A vacuum film forming apparatus capable of forming a transparent conductive film having a high rate, a vacuum film forming method using the vacuum film forming apparatus, and a resin film on which a thin film is formed by the vacuum film forming method The purpose is that.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve such an object, the vacuum film forming apparatus of the present invention has an upper surface in a vacuum container, and a resin film wound around a film forming roller has a film formation surface. In the lower part of the vacuum chamber, an evaporation source that evaporates the vapor deposition material with an electron beam gun, and plasma emission that irradiates plasma toward the vapor deposition material evaporated in the evaporation source The plasma emission source is disposed at a distance from a virtual plane extending in the vertical direction including the axis of the film forming roller. In addition, the anode electrode provided in the plasma emission source and the hearth holding the vapor deposition material evaporated in the evaporation source have the same potential .

  Further, the vacuum film forming method of the present invention is a resin film vacuum film forming method using such a vacuum film forming apparatus, and is directed toward the resin film traveling on the film forming roller. And evaporating the vapor deposition material from the plasma, and irradiating the evaporated vapor deposition material with plasma from the plasma emission source to form a thin film made of the vapor deposition material on the deposition surface. To do. Furthermore, the resin film of the present invention is characterized in that a thin film is formed by such a vacuum film forming method.

  Therefore, according to such a vacuum film forming apparatus and vacuum film forming method, evaporation of the vapor deposition material can be controlled independently by the evaporation source by the electron beam gun, and ionization of the vaporized material thus vaporized can be independently controlled by the plasma emission source. Since it is possible, the ratio between the evaporation amount and the ionization amount of the vapor deposition material that determines the film quality of the transparent conductive film such as the ITO thin film can be reliably controlled. For this reason, in the resin film of this invention in which the thin film was formed in this way, it becomes possible to form a transparent conductive film having a lower resistance and a higher transmittance. In addition, since the evaporation source itself is based on an electron beam gun, the radiation is small, and film formation can be performed below the softening point of the resin film.

  And, by irradiating the plasma by the plasma emission source as described above and ionizing the vapor deposition material toward the vapor deposition material thus evaporated, high ionization can be achieved without positively applying a potential to the resin film. In addition to obtaining an effect, the ions traveling to the resin film collide with the film formation surface, and the impact energy can increase the reactivity and the like on the film formation surface, thereby improving the film formation rate. Can be achieved. Furthermore, since the evaporated vapor deposition material can be diffused by the emission of this plasma, even a wide resin film can form a uniform thin film over the entire film formation surface.

  Further, the plasma emission source is disposed at a distance from a virtual plane extending in the vertical direction including the axis of the film forming roller, that is, a component extending directly below the center in the circumferential direction of the film forming surface. It is offset with respect to the center plane of the film roller. As a result, a large distance can be secured between the plasma emission source and the film formation surface, so that the emitted plasma can be sufficiently diffused to reach the film formation surface of the film. Accordingly, the vapor deposition material evaporated as described above can be more uniformly diffused, and a uniform thin film can be more reliably formed over the entire width direction of the film.

  On the other hand, if the evaporation source is offset from the center surface of the film forming roller with an interval, the evaporation particles of the vapor deposition material are incident obliquely on the film forming surface and the film is formed. As a result, the refractive index of the transparent conductive film decreases and the packing density decreases, which may lead to a decrease in adhesion and environmental performance. By disposing at a distance from the plane, the evaporation source can be disposed on or near this virtual plane, and the evaporation material evaporated from this evaporation source is at an angle close to the deposition surface. Can be made incident. Note that ions in plasma that affect film formation do not have directivity like evaporated particles, and therefore the influence is small even when the plasma emission source is offset and incident obliquely.

Further, the control of the electron beam in the electron beam gun for evaporating the vapor deposition material in the evaporation source and the control of the plasma irradiated from the plasma emission source are generally performed by a magnetic field formed by an electromagnet coil or a permanent magnet. However, if the evaporation source and the plasma emission source are close to each other, the magnetic fields interfere with each other, and there is a risk that reliable control of the electron beam or plasma may be hindered. However, as described above, the plasma emission source is disposed at a distance from the virtual plane as described above, so that even if the electron beam gun of the evaporation source is positioned on the virtual plane, a certain amount is provided between them. Thus, it is possible to prevent the interference of the magnetic fields with each other and to control the electron beam and plasma more reliably. Further, in the vacuum film forming apparatus of the present invention, the anode electrode provided in the plasma emission source and the hearth holding the vapor deposition material evaporated in the evaporation source are set at the same potential so that the plasma emission source While most of the electrons in the irradiated plasma are returned to the anode electrode, some of the electrons flow into the hearth using the hearth as the anode to heat the deposition material and ionize it. The effect similar to that of the described film forming apparatus can be obtained, and the ionization efficiency can be further improved.

  Even when the plasma emission source is disposed at a distance from the virtual plane which is the center plane of the film formation roller, the plasma emission source is arranged such that its upper end faces the film formation surface. By tilting to the right, the plasma can be sufficiently diffused to the film formation surface opposite to the plasma emission source with respect to the virtual plane, and a more uniform thin film can be achieved. In addition, when the film formation surface on the film formation roller is exposed downward from the opening of the adhesion prevention plate disposed so as to partition the inside of the vacuum vessel, the lower surface of the adhesion prevention plate is also provided. The film being deposited continues to adhere and accumulate, and if the film is deposited for a long time, the deposited film may peel off and fall to the plasma emission source, but by tilting the plasma emission source in this way , It is possible to prevent the fallen film peeling material from entering the inside of the plasma gun of the plasma emission source, and the situation where the plasma discharge stops due to such film peeling material mixing. There is also an effect that it can be prevented in advance.

  Further, in the vacuum film forming apparatus of the present invention, both the evaporation source and the plasma emission source are arranged so as to face the film formation surface of the film, and the plasma emission source is arranged so as to face the evaporation source. Since it is not provided, it is possible to suppress the deposition material evaporated in the evaporation source from adhering to the anode electrode provided in the plasma emission source and forming a film. Further, the upper end portion of the anode electrode provided in the plasma emission source is disposed at a position higher in the vertical direction than the hearth holding the vapor deposition material evaporated in the evaporation source, whereby the anode electrode It is possible to more reliably prevent film formation, and it is possible to suppress discharge instability due to such film formation.

  Furthermore, in the vacuum film forming apparatus of the present invention, if the film forming roller is insulated and supported in the vacuum container to obtain a floating potential, electrons in the plasma irradiated from the plasma emission source are In this way, it is possible to prevent diffusion other than the anode electrode provided in the plasma emission source and the hearth having the same potential as this anode electrode, and the density of the electrons is confined by confining the electrons in the plasma below the deposition surface. Can be increased.

As described above, according to the vacuum film-forming apparatus and the vacuum film-forming method of the present invention, the film-forming surface can be formed at a temperature below the softening point of the resin film without complicating the apparatus structure and increasing the cost. A uniform and uniform thin film can be formed, and the evaporation amount and ionization amount of the vapor deposition material can be controlled independently and reliably, and the ionization efficiency can be further improved. . Therefore, particularly when forming a transparent conductive film such as an ITO thin film, the resin film of the present invention has a lower resistance and a higher transmittance while improving the film formation speed, and also has excellent adhesion and environmental resistance. It becomes possible to form a transparent conductive film with high performance.

  1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the vacuum film-forming apparatus of the present invention. In this embodiment, the vacuum vessel 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape as shown in these drawings, and one side portion (lower side portion in FIG. 2) is a door portion 1A that can be opened and closed. The interior of the door 1A is sealed by a vacuum exhaust means (not shown) while the door 1A is sealed.

  A hearth 3 formed with a ring-shaped groove for holding the vapor deposition material sequentially supplied from the material supply mechanism 2 is rotated around the central axis in the vertical direction at the bottom of the vacuum vessel 1. An electron beam gun 4 that generates a material vapor (film-forming substance) A by irradiating a part of the vapor deposition material held in the hearth 3 with an electron beam and evaporating it is adjacent to the hearth 3. The evaporation source 5 is constituted by these. Note that a multi-point hearth in which a large number of crucibles are arranged may be used instead of the ring-shaped hearth.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of such evaporation sources 5 are provided at the bottom of the vacuum vessel 1. More specifically, the pair of evaporation sources 5 are positioned at the center in the depth direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) in the vacuum vessel 1 perpendicular to the bottom surface of the vacuum vessel 1 in plan view as shown in FIG. In these evaporation sources 5, the beam irradiation position Q on the hearth 3 where the material vapor A is generated by the respective electron beam guns 4 is also a vacuum container. 1 is arranged on an imaginary plane R located at the center in the width direction (left and right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) in the vacuum vessel 1 perpendicular to the bottom surface of 1 and perpendicular to the depth direction.

  In addition, a plasma emission source 7 that causes ionization by irradiating the plasma B toward the material vapor A evaporated in the evaporation source 5 is disposed at the bottom of the vacuum vessel 1. The plasma emission source 7 in the present embodiment is a pressure gradient type plasma gun, and is configured to irradiate the material vapor A with plasma B as shown in FIG. In the depth direction, as shown in FIG. 2, the center line of the coil 6A is positioned on the imaginary plane P so as to be directed in the vertical direction, and in the width direction on one side with respect to the imaginary plane R. It arrange | positions so that it may be located (right side in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). The upper end portion of the anode electrode 6 provided in the plasma emission source 7 is positioned above the hearth 3 that holds the vapor deposition material in the evaporation source 5 and is at least at the same potential as the hearth 3. ing.

  On the other hand, the door portion 1A of the vacuum vessel 1 is not shown with a pair of holding rollers 8, a plurality of intermediate rollers 9, and one film forming roller 10 for holding a resin film F for forming a thin film. Each of the rollers 8 to 10 is cantilevered so as to be rotatable around its rotational axis by the driving means. The rollers 8 to 10 are arranged at the center in the rotational axis direction of the rollers 8 to 10 with the door portion 1A closed. It is arranged so as to protrude inside the vacuum vessel 1 so as to be orthogonal to the virtual plane P. In the present embodiment, these rollers 8 to 10 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the virtual plane R as shown in FIG.

  Among these, the film forming roller 10 has the largest diameter, and is positioned below the holding roller 8 and the intermediate roller 9. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, it is located in the center in the depth direction and the width direction in a plan view, and the beam irradiation position Q on the hearth 3 of the plurality of evaporation sources 5 and immediately above the plasma emission source 7. It is arranged. Accordingly, the rotation axis O of the film forming roller 10 is positioned on the virtual plane R. In other words, the virtual plane R is a central plane extending in the vertical direction including the axis O at the center of the film forming roller 10. Thus, the pair of evaporation sources 5 are located on the center plane, and the plasma emission source 7 is disposed at a distance from the virtual plane R serving as the center plane to the one side. Further, the virtual plane P is located at the center of the film forming roll 10 in the direction of the axis O and is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the axis O.

  Further, the film forming roller 10 is insulated and supported in the vacuum vessel 1, and the potential thereof is a floating potential. In this embodiment, depending on the film formation situation, the other holding roller 8 and the intermediate roller 9 may be similarly insulated and supported to have a floating potential. Further, the roller surface or the roller main body that is in contact with the resin film F may be made of resin even if not insulated.

  In addition, an opening 11A is formed in the vacuum container 1 slightly below the center in the vertical direction so that the lower part of the film forming roller 10 is exposed with the door 1A closed. An upper deposition preventing plate 11 is horizontally disposed, and a beam irradiation position Q on the hearth 3 of the evaporation source 5 and a position of the electron beam gun 4 and a position of the plasma emission source 7 are disposed on the bottom side in the vacuum vessel 1. The bottom protective plate 12 having an opening is also disposed horizontally. Further, on the inner wall surface side of the vacuum vessel 1 between the upper deposition plate 11 and the bottom deposition plate 12, the deposition roller 10, the evaporation source 5, and the plasma emission source 7 together with the deposition plates 11 and 12. Wall protection plates 13 are arranged so as to define a box-shaped space between them, and these protection plates 11 to 13 are also insulated and supported in the vacuum vessel 1 so that the potential is a floating potential. It is said that.

  In the vacuum film forming apparatus configured as described above, the resin film F on which a thin film is formed has the plasma emission source 7 disposed with respect to the virtual plane R of the pair of holding rollers 8 in the present embodiment. The lower portion of the film forming roller 10 is wound around and held by the holding roller 8 on the one side (right side in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the intermediate roller 9 passes from the holding roller 8 on the one side. Further, it is wound around the holding roller 8 on the other side (the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2) opposite to the one side with respect to the virtual plane R via the intermediate roller 9.

  In addition, between the intermediate roller 9 on one side and the film forming roller 10, as shown in FIG. 1, the resin film F running between the intermediate roller 9 and the film forming roller 10 is opposed. A heater 14 may be provided. In addition to the heater 14, or in combination with the heater 14, temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the film forming roller 10 by heating the resin film F may be provided.

  The heating of the resin film F by the heater 14 is performed immediately before the normal film formation, mainly for the purpose of removing moisture adsorbed on the surface of the resin film F. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the film | membrane to the resin film F can be aimed at. In the present embodiment, the resin film F is moved from the holding roller 8 on the other side to the virtual plane R through the intermediate roller 9 with the heater 14 activated with an appropriately adjusted output, and the above-described film forming roller 10. It is wound around the lower portion and is wound around the holding roller 8 on the one side where the heater 14 is disposed via the intermediate roller 9. Therefore, almost all the resin films F to be wound are once heated. If the resin film F is wound in the above direction when heated, the reverse direction becomes the winding direction during film formation from the one side holding roller 8 toward the other side holding roller 8 described above. There is no need to rewind the resin film F once for the film.

  Accordingly, in the resin film F, the downward surface of the film roller 10 that is wound around the lower part of the film forming roller 10 is the film forming surface S on which the thin film is formed. As shown in FIG. 1, the virtual plane R serving as the center plane is positioned at the center of the film forming surface S in the circumferential direction of the film forming roller 10 and extends in the vertical direction. The evaporation source 5 and the plasma emission source 7 are located in the center of the film forming surface S in the direction of the axis O of the film roller 10, and face the opening 11 A of the upper deposition preventing plate 11. It will be arranged so as to face each other.

  And in one embodiment of the vacuum film-forming method of the present invention using the vacuum film-forming apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the evaporation is directed toward the resin film F that is wound around the lower part of the film-forming roller 10 and travels. The vapor deposition material is evaporated from the source 5 to generate the material vapor A, and the material B is irradiated with the plasma B from the plasma emission source 7 to cause ionization, and the deposition surface S is made from the vapor deposition material. For example, an ITO thin film is formed. Thereby, the resin film F by which such a thin film was formed which is one Embodiment of the resin film of this invention is manufactured.

  According to the vacuum film forming apparatus having such a structure and the vacuum film forming method using the vacuum film forming apparatus, the plasma emission source 7 irradiates the material B with the plasma B toward the material vapor A thus generated. By ionizing the vapor deposition material in the material vapor A, a high ionization effect can be obtained, and on the deposition surface S by impact energy caused by the ions traveling toward the resin film F colliding with the deposition surface S. The reactivity in can be improved. For this reason, it is possible to improve the deposition rate without providing a bias application power source and actively applying a potential to the resin film. It can be carried out.

  In the vacuum film forming apparatus, the generation of the material vapor A by evaporation of the vapor deposition material can be controlled by the electron beam gun 4 in the evaporation source 5, and the ionization of the material vapor A thus generated is vapor deposited by the plasma emission source 7. The evaporation of the material can be controlled independently, and the ratio between the evaporation amount and the ionization amount of the vapor deposition material can be reliably controlled. Therefore, when a transparent conductive film such as the above-mentioned ITO thin film is formed, the ratio between the evaporation amount and the ionization amount of the vapor deposition material that determines the film quality can always be maintained at an optimum ratio. In the resin film F of the embodiment, it is possible to form a transparent conductive film having lower resistance and higher transmittance.

  Further, since the evaporation source 5 evaporates the vapor deposition material by the electron beam gun 4 as described above, heat radiation can be suppressed to a small value, and the softening point of the resin film F is, for example, 150 ° C to 100 ° C or less. It becomes possible to form a film. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the resin film F wound around the film forming roller 10 from being softened and stretched or to be broken, and stable film formation can be achieved.

  Further, the vaporized material vapor A itself diffuses and is also diffused by the irradiation of the plasma B from the plasma emission source 7 and deposited on the deposition surface S, so that uniform film formation can be achieved. it can. In addition, the plasma emission source 7 is disposed at a distance from the virtual plane R, which is the center plane of the film forming roll 10 and the film formation surface S. Since the distance to S can be increased, the plasma B can be more diffused before reaching the film formation surface S, and more uniform film formation can be performed on the wide resin film F. it can.

  On the other hand, since the plasma emission source 7 is thus spaced from the virtual plane R, the evaporation source 5 can be disposed on the virtual plane R, that is, on the center surface of the film formation surface S. The vapor deposition particles of the material vapor A evaporated in the evaporation source 5 can be made incident from a direction closer to the film formation surface S, thereby increasing the refractive index in the transparent conductive film, that is, vapor deposition. The packing density of the material into the resin film F can be increased, and a thin film with high adhesion and environmental resistance can be formed. On the other hand, the plasma B irradiated from the plasma emission source 7 offset from the virtual plane R is incident on the deposition surface S obliquely, but this affects the film formation. Since the ions in the plasma B that give the same have no directivity as the vapor deposition particles, the influence thereof is small.

  In addition, since the plasma emission source 7 is disposed at a distance from the virtual plane R in this way, the plasma emission source 7 is also disposed between the electron beam gun 4 of the evaporation source 5 disposed on the virtual plane R and the plasma emission source 7. The magnetic field for controlling the electron beam for generating the material vapor A in the evaporation source 5 and the magnetic field for controlling the plasma B in the plasma emission source 7 can be prevented from interfering with each other. it can. Therefore, the situation where the generation of the material vapor A and the generation of the plasma B becomes unstable due to the interference of the magnetic field can be prevented, and the above-described ratio of the evaporation amount and the ionization amount of the vapor deposition material can be controlled. It is possible to perform the process more reliably, and it is possible to promote the formation of a transparent conductive film having a low resistance and a high transmittance.

  The interval between the plasma emission source 7 and the virtual plane R in this way is appropriately set based on the magnitude of the magnetic field due to the output of the electron beam gun 4 or the plasma gun of the plasma emission source 7 or the like. In this embodiment, the plasma emission source 7 is spaced from the virtual plane R on the one side where the resin film travels on the film formation surface S of the film forming roll 10 during film formation. Although it arrange | positions so that it may open, it may be arrange | positioned at intervals on the said other side opposite to this.

  Furthermore, in the present vacuum film forming apparatus, in the present embodiment, the evaporation source 5 and the plasma emission source 7 are both opposed to the film formation surface S of the resin film F disposed downward. Since they are directed upward in the vertical direction and do not face each other so as to face each other directly, for example, scattered matter at the time of evaporation is mixed into the plasma gun of the plasma emission source 7 or material vapor A generated from the evaporation source 5 Can be prevented from adhering to and depositing on the anode electrode 6, and it is possible to prevent a situation where the formation of plasma B becomes unstable due to such mixing or deposition. In addition, in the present embodiment, the upper end portion of the anode electrode 6 of the plasma emission source 7 is disposed at a position higher than the hearth 3 that holds the vapor deposition material in the evaporation source 5. Is less likely to occur, and more stable plasma discharge can be promoted.

  Further, for example, even when a film is formed on the film-forming surface S having the same area as that of a sputtering target, the evaporation material held in the hearth 3 is small, and an increase in cost can be suppressed. Moreover, in the vacuum film forming apparatus of the present embodiment, a plurality (a pair) of the evaporation sources 5 sets the beam irradiation position Q on the hearth 3 that generates the material vapor A in the direction along the imaginary plane R, that is, the composition. As shown in FIG. 2, the resin film F wound around the film roller 10 is disposed so as to be symmetrical with respect to the virtual plane P as shown in FIG. Since it is arranged so as to be located on the virtual plane P, even when forming a film on a wide film F, it is possible to efficiently form a high-performance and uniform thin film while reducing costs as described above. Is possible.

  In the case where the resin film F to be formed is wider, three, four, or more evaporation sources 5 are used as in the modified vacuum film forming apparatus schematically shown in FIGS. May be arranged so as to face the film-forming surface S, and a plurality of plasma emission sources 7 may be arranged at intervals from the virtual plane R. However, even in such a case, as shown in these drawings, the plurality of evaporation sources 5 are symmetric with respect to the virtual plane P located at the center of the film formation surface S in the axis O direction of the film formation roller 10. In addition, it is desirable to arrange on the virtual plane R including the axis O and extending in the vertical direction, and it is also desirable to arrange the plurality of plasma emission sources 7 symmetrically with respect to the virtual plane P.

  Further, in the vacuum film forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the anode electrode 6 provided in the plasma emission source 7 and the hearth 3 holding the vapor deposition material in the evaporation source 5 are set to the same potential as described above. As a result, most of the electrons of the plasma B irradiated from the plasma emission source 7 are returned to the anode electrode 6 and the remaining part flows into the hearth 3 having the same potential as the anode electrode 6. The electrons thus flowing into the hearth 3 heat the vapor deposition material together with the electrons irradiated from the electron beam gun 4 of the evaporation source 5 and collide with the vapor, thereby promoting effective evaporation and ionization of the vapor deposition material. Therefore, more efficient film formation can be achieved.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the film forming roller 10 on which the resin film F is wound so that the film forming surface S faces the evaporation source 5 and the plasma emission source 7 is insulated and supported in the vacuum container 1. Thus, a floating potential is set, and electrons in the plasma B are prevented from diffusing from the film forming roller 10 other than the anode electrode 6 and the hearth 3, and the electrons are confined in a space immediately below the film forming surface S. The density can be increased. In addition, in the present embodiment, the insulating plates 11 to 13 that are insulated and set to the floating potential in the same manner as the film forming roller 10, as described above, between the film forming roller 10 and the evaporation source 5 and the plasma emission source 7. Since the space where the periphery is insulated is defined, it is possible to more reliably prevent the diffusion of electrons and supply a part of the electrons to the hearth 3 and to promote further ionization of the vapor deposition material.

  In addition, the floating means that it is insulated, and in this embodiment, the state that is not electrically connected to the plasma discharge power supply electrode, and the case where it is exposed to the plasma while being insulated from the floating potential. In addition, it is a potential generated in the floating part due to charge-up of electrons or ions in the plasma. The magnitude of the potential depends on the discharge method and the installation status of the parts.

  In this embodiment, the electrons in the plasma are in contact with the plasma in an insulated state, so that the mass of the electrons is lighter than the ions, so they reach the floating part before the ions and can flow because they are further insulated. Instead, by charging up, the floating component is charged to a negative potential.

  Electrons, which are negative charges in the plasma, are rebounded by this floating potential, so that they are prevented from diffusing (flowing into the film forming roller 10) other than the anode electrode 6 and the hearth 3 provided in the plasma emission source 7 as described above. Furthermore, if all the surfaces surrounding the plasma B including the adhesion preventing plates 11 to 13 are made floating as described above, the plasma B is surrounded by a negative potential, and as described above, the electron confinement and the density thereof are increased. I can do it.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the plasma emission source 7 is disposed on one side across the virtual plane R perpendicular to the bottom surface of the vacuum vessel 1, and the plasma B is irradiated toward the opposing deposition surface S. At the same time, the resin film F is sent out from the holding roller 8 on one side, and a thin film is formed while traveling the lower part of the film forming roller 10 toward the other side. That is, the resin film F is irradiated to the plasma B before the material vapor A, and further, the initial layer of the film laminated while passing through the deposition surface S is strongly affected by the plasma B. The anchor effect of the film is promoted, and the adhesion can be further improved.

  In the vacuum film forming apparatus of this embodiment, when the heater 14 is provided between the holding roller 8 and the film forming roller 10 on one side, or the temperature control means is provided on the film forming roller 10, In the vacuum film forming method, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the resin film F to a temperature suitable for film formation, and the moisture content of the resin film F is adjusted by the heater 14 as described above. Is also possible.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the vacuum film-forming apparatus of the present invention, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the parts common to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. The description is omitted. That is, in the first embodiment, the plasma gun of the plasma emission source 7 is arranged with the center line of the coil 6A directed in the vertical direction, whereas in the second embodiment, the center of the coil 6A is arranged. The line is on the virtual plane P and is inclined so as to face the other side as it goes upward as shown in FIG. 5, and the upper end portion of the plasma gun of the plasma emission source 7 is the deposition surface. It is tilted so as to face the S side.

  Therefore, according to the vacuum film forming apparatus of the second embodiment, the plasma B irradiated from the plasma emission source 7 is transmitted from one side with respect to the virtual plane R on which the plasma emission source 7 is disposed. Even if the plasma emission source 7 is spaced from the virtual plane R that is the center plane of the film-forming surface S, it can be diffused sufficiently to the other side opposite to this, and it is more surely uniform. A thin film can be formed.

  In particular, in the case where the upper deposition preventive plate 11 as described above is provided in the vacuum vessel 1, a film adheres to and deposits on the lower surface of the upper deposition preventive plate 11 during film formation, and the formation is completed. When the film is formed for a long time, the deposited film may be peeled off and dropped. However, when the plasma emission source 7 is inclined as in the second embodiment, the plane of the upper end opening of the plasma gun is inclined. Since the projected area in view becomes small, the possibility that the fallen peeled material is mixed into the plasma gun from this opening is reduced. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the discharge of the plasma B from the plasma emission source 7 is stopped due to such a mixture of the exfoliated material, and it takes a long time. Film formation can also be performed stably.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along a virtual plane P of a vacuum vessel 1 showing a first embodiment of a vacuum film forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a top view in the state where door part 1A of vacuum container 1 of an embodiment shown in Drawing 1 was opened (the inside of vacuum container 1 is a plane sectional view). It is a schematic plan view which shows the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic plan view which shows the other modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the virtual plane P of the vacuum vessel 1 which shows 2nd Embodiment of the vacuum film-forming apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum container 3 Hearth 4 Electron beam gun 5 Evaporation source 6 Anode electrode 7 Plasma emission source 10 Film-forming roller 11-13 Attachment plate A Material vapor B Plasma F Resin film O The axis of film-forming roller 10 S Film-forming surface R Composition A virtual plane including the axis of the film roller 10 and extending in the vertical direction (the center plane of the film formation surface S)

Claims (6)

A resin film wound around a film forming roller is arranged on the upper part in the vacuum container with the film formation surface facing downward, and the vapor deposition material is evaporated by an electron beam gun at the bottom in the vacuum container. An evaporation source and a plasma emission source for irradiating plasma toward the vapor deposition material evaporated in the evaporation source are arranged so as to face the film formation surface, of which the plasma emission source is The anode electrode provided in the plasma emission source and the vapor deposition material evaporated in the evaporation source are disposed at a distance from a virtual plane extending in the vertical direction including the axis of the film forming roller. A vacuum film-forming apparatus, wherein the held hearth is at the same potential .   2. The vacuum film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plasma emission source is inclined so that an upper end portion thereof faces the film forming surface. The upper end of the anode electrode, a vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it is arranged at a position higher in a vertical direction than the hearth. 4. The vacuum film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the film forming roller is insulated and supported in the vacuum container so as to have a floating potential. 5. A vacuum film forming method for a resin film using the vacuum film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the evaporation film is directed toward the resin film traveling on the film forming roller. The evaporation material is evaporated from a source, and plasma is emitted from the plasma emission source toward the evaporated evaporation material to form a thin film made of the evaporation material on the deposition surface. A vacuum film forming method for the resin film. A resin film, wherein a thin film is formed by the vacuum film formation method for a resin film according to claim 5 .

Images