JP5976370B2 - Plasma CVD equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma CVD apparatus, and more particularly to an improvement of a plasma CVD apparatus used for forming a plasma CVD layer on a surface of a base material by a plasma CVD method.

  Conventionally, a plasma CVD method using plasma is known as one of methods for forming a thin film on the surface of a base material made of various materials. Various apparatuses are also available for forming a thin-film plasma CVD layer on the surface of the substrate by performing this plasma CVD method. For example, a parallel plate type plasma CVD apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-120881 (Patent Document 1), an inductively coupled plasma CVD apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-248327, etc. That's it.

  As is well known, a parallel plate type plasma CVD apparatus includes a reaction chamber in which a substrate is accommodated, and a pair of plate-shaped plasma generating electrodes disposed in the reaction chamber so as to extend in parallel with each other. And is configured. On the other hand, the inductively coupled plasma CVD apparatus is configured to include a reaction chamber in which a base material is accommodated and a high frequency induction antenna disposed outside the reaction chamber. The parallel plate type plasma CVD apparatus and the inductively coupled plasma CVD apparatus have a high frequency power supply between a pair of plasma generating electrodes and a high frequency induction antenna in a state where a film forming gas is supplied into the reaction chamber. By applying the power from, the plasma of the source gas contained in the film forming gas and the plasma of the reactive gas are generated in the reaction chamber, and the plasma is further reacted to generate a predetermined product. Then, by depositing it on the surface of the substrate, a plasma CVD layer made of such a product is laminated.

  In such a parallel plate type plasma CVD apparatus and an inductively coupled plasma CVD apparatus, the plasma-formed film-forming gas (raw material gas and reactive gas) is dispersed throughout the reaction chamber. There is an advantage that the plasma CVD layer can be laminated and formed on the entire surface of the substrate having a large area in a single film formation process. However, on the other hand, the product generated by the reaction of the plasma of the film forming gas by the plasma CVD method adheres to the inner surface of the reaction chamber, the electrode disposed in the reaction chamber, or the support member that supports the substrate. Therefore, it was necessary to do extra work to remove them.

  Under such circumstances, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-220680 (Patent Document 3) discloses a plasma CVD apparatus capable of suppressing adhesion of a product (plasma CVD layer) other than the substrate surface.

  This plasma CVD apparatus includes a reaction chamber that accommodates a substrate, a plasma generation unit that generates plasma, and a blowout port that blows out plasma generated in the plasma generation unit into the reaction chamber. When a plasma CVD layer is formed on the surface of a substrate using such a plasma CVD apparatus, for example, first, the reaction chamber containing the substrate is evacuated while an inert gas such as argon gas is used. Alternatively, a gas that does not react with the film forming gas in a plasma state is introduced into the plasma generation unit, and plasma is generated in the plasma generation unit. Then, the plasma is blown out from the plasma generation unit through the blowout port into the vacuumed reaction chamber, while the film forming gas for forming the plasma CVD layer is supplied into the reaction chamber, and the film forming gas is supplied. Is brought into contact with the plasma. Thereby, the raw material gas and the reactive gas contained in the film forming gas are converted into plasma, and the plasma of the raw material gas and the reactive gas plasma are reacted by the plasma CVD method. Then, a product generated by the reaction by the plasma CVD method is deposited on the surface of the base material, and a plasma CVD layer is laminated on the base material surface.

  Further, when a plasma CVD layer is formed using such a plasma CVD apparatus, the plasma generation unit includes a film forming gas instead of a gas that does not react with an inert gas or a film forming gas. Some gas components may be introduced. In this case, a part of the gas component contained in the film forming gas is converted into plasma by the plasma generation unit, and the plasma is blown out from the plasma generation unit through the blowout port into the reaction chamber, while being supplied into the reaction chamber. Other gas components of the film forming gas to be supplied are supplied, and such other gas components are brought into plasma by bringing them into contact with plasma. Then, these plasma gas components are reacted with each other by the plasma CVD method to form a plasma CVD layer on the surface of the base material in the reaction chamber.

  As described above, the conventional plasma CVD apparatus disclosed in the above publication has a plasma (a plasma of a gas that does not react with an inert gas or a film-forming gas, or a composition that is blown out from a plasma generation unit through a blowout port into the reaction chamber. A plasma CVD layer is formed on the surface of the substrate accommodated in the reaction chamber using plasma of gas components contained in the film gas. In such a plasma CVD apparatus, since plasma is blown out from the blower outlet toward the substrate surface, dispersion of the plasma of the film forming gas in the reaction chamber is advantageously suppressed, and the plasma CVD method is used. The product produced by the reaction is concentrated on the surface of the substrate, which prevents the product from adhering to the inner surface of the reaction chamber or the support member that supports the substrate as much as possible. To get.

  However, the present inventors have studied from various angles regarding the film forming performance of a so-called plasma blowing type plasma CVD apparatus in which plasma is blown out from a plasma generation unit having such a structure. It was found that the following problems were inherent.

  That is, in the conventional plasma blowout type plasma CVD apparatus, plasma is normally blown out intensively from the blowout port toward the center of the substrate surface. Therefore, when using such a plasma blowing type plasma CVD apparatus to form a plasma CVD layer on the surface of a large area substrate, a plasma CVD method is performed between the central portion and the outer peripheral portion of the substrate surface. It is clear from the research of the present inventor that the deposition amount of the product generated by the reaction caused by the reaction may vary, which may cause the thickness of the plasma CVD layer on the substrate surface to be non-uniform. It became.

JP 2009-120881 A JP 2005-248327 A JP 2001-220680 A

  Here, the present invention has been made in the background as described above, and the problem to be solved is that while the adhesion of the plasma CVD layer to other than the substrate surface is advantageously suppressed, An object of the present invention is to provide a plasma CVD apparatus capable of uniformly and uniformly forming a plasma CVD layer on the surface of a material regardless of the size of the surface.

And in this invention, in order to solve this subject, the reaction chamber which accommodates a base material, the plasma generation part which generate | occur | produces a plasma, and the plasma generated in this plasma generation part are blown out in this reaction chamber A gas outlet and a wall of the reaction chamber are penetrated into the reaction chamber, and a film forming gas is supplied into the reaction chamber through an opening at a front end thereof. Further, the film forming gas is supplied from the air outlet. and a introduction pipe blowing toward the plasma to be blown through the introducing pipe, a film forming gas supplied to the reaction chamber, through the outlet, was blown into the reaction chamber from the plasma generation portion plasma in contact with, a plasma CVD apparatus for forming a plasma CVD layer of film forming gas on the surface of the substrate, it is arranged to extend into the reaction chamber from the outlet,該吹outlet A plasma CVD apparatus characterized in that a guide member for guiding the flow of plasma blown into the reaction chamber is provided so as to be able to tilt, and tilting means for tilting the guide member is provided. Is the gist of this.

  According to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the guide member is constituted by a pair of guide plates, and the pair of guide plates are spaced from each other at a position sandwiching the air outlet. The pair of guide plates are arranged in a direction opposite to each other by the tilting means in a state of being arranged to extend from the outlet to the reaction chamber so as to be spaced apart from each other. It is configured to be tilted. In addition, a pair of guide plate is comprised so that it can be made to incline in the arbitrary directions of a mutual opposing direction mutually independently or in connection with each other. Further, the pair of guide plates need not always be tilted, and may be configured such that only one of them is tilted.

According to another advantageous aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotating body having the air outlet and arranged to be rotatable around a central axis of the air outlet, the pair of guide plates being And a rotating means for rotating the rotating body, the rotating means being rotated at a desired angle by the rotating means and the pair of guide plates. by the tilting, the resulting Rukoto the pair of guide plates is caused to tilt in all directions around the center axis of the air outlet.

  That is, in the plasma CVD apparatus according to the present invention, the direction of the plasma flow blown out from the air outlet is tilted by the tilting means by tilting the guide member provided at the air outlet, among the directions in which the guide member can be tilted. You can change in any direction. Therefore, even if the substrate surface has a large area, the plasma is directed from the blowout port to both the central portion and the outer peripheral portion by tilting (swinging) the guide member by the tilting means. That is, it can be blown out evenly toward substantially the entire surface of the substrate. As a result, the product produced by the reaction by the plasma CVD method can be deposited as uniformly as possible on the entire surface of the substrate without being dispersed throughout the reaction chamber. .

  Therefore, in the plasma CVD apparatus according to the present invention as described above, the plasma CVD layer can be formed on the surface of the substrate regardless of the size of the substrate while advantageously suppressing the adhesion of the plasma CVD layer to other than the substrate surface. The layers can be uniformly laminated with a uniform thickness.

It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-section explanatory drawing which shows an example of the resin product obtained using the plasma CVD apparatus which has a structure according to this invention. It is longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing which shows one Embodiment of the plasma CVD apparatus which has a structure according to this invention. FIG. 3 is an upper surface explanatory view of a rotating body attached to the plasma CVD apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged explanatory view of the plasma CVD apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

  Hereinafter, in order to clarify the present invention more specifically, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, FIG. 1 shows a resin glass 10 for a rear window of an automobile as a resin product obtained by using a plasma CVD apparatus having a structure according to the present invention in a partial vertical sectional form. As is clear from FIG. 1, the resin glass 10 has a substrate 12 as a base material, and an undercoat layer 14 is laminated on the surface of the substrate 12 (the upper surface in FIG. 1). Further, a top coat layer 16 is laminated on the surface of the undercoat layer 14 opposite to the substrate 12 side. In the following, for convenience, the upper surface in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front surface, and the lower surface in FIG. 1 is referred to as the back surface.

  The substrate 12 has a transparent flat plate shape and is formed of a resin molded product that is injection-molded using polycarbonate. The substrate 12 may be formed by a method other than injection molding.

  The undercoat layer 14 is laminated directly on the surface of the substrate 12 so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate 12 for the purpose of providing the resin glass 10 with weather resistance based on ultraviolet resistance or the like. It is formed and takes the form of a thin film. In general, such an undercoat layer 14 is formed by coating a liquid acrylic resin or polyurethane resin on the surface of the substrate 12 to form a coating film, and then heating the coating film by applying a heating operation or ultraviolet irradiation. Is formed. The undercoat layer 14 is preferably composed of an ultraviolet curable film in order to simplify and speed up the forming process and reduce the equipment cost required for forming the undercoat layer 14. The undercoat layer 14 can also be formed by employing a resin material or a curing method other than the above examples as long as it has weather resistance. Further, the undercoat layer 14 may have a single layer structure or a multilayer structure in which a plurality of layers are laminated.

The top coat layer 16 has an entire surface on the surface opposite to the substrate 12 side of the undercoat layer 14 in order to impart abrasion resistance (abrasion resistance and scratch resistance) to the resin glass 10. It is laminated and formed so as to cover, and has a thin film form. Here, the top coat layer 16 is composed of a SiO ₂ plasma CVD layer that exhibits excellent abrasion resistance. The material for forming the top coat layer 16 is not particularly limited as long as it can provide sufficient abrasion resistance to the resin glass 10, but generally, in addition to SiO ₂ , SiON and Si A silicon compound such as ₃ N ₄ is used. The topcoat layer 16 may have a single layer structure or a multilayer structure in which a plurality of layers are laminated.

  And the resin glass 10 which has such an outstanding characteristic is manufactured according to the following procedures, for example.

  That is, first, a polycarbonate substrate 12 is prepared by injection molding or the like. The molding method of the substrate 12 is not limited to injection molding, and a known method can be appropriately employed.

  Then, after forming a coating layer such as acrylic resin or polyurethane resin on the surface of the prepared substrate 12 by known spray coating or dipping, the coating layer is heated or exposed to ultraviolet rays. To cure. As a result, the undercoat layer 14 is formed on the surface of the substrate 12 to obtain an intermediate product 18 (see FIG. 2).

  Next, a top coat layer 16 is laminated on the surface of the undercoat layer 14 in the intermediate product 18 by using a plasma CVD method. At that time, a plasma CVD apparatus having a structure according to the present invention is used.

  FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a plasma CVD apparatus having a structure according to the present invention, which is used in the step of forming the top coat layer 16. As apparent from FIG. 2, the plasma CVD apparatus 20 includes a vacuum chamber 22 as a reaction chamber, and a plasma generator 24 as a plasma generation unit fixed to the vacuum chamber 22. In the plasma CVD apparatus 20, the undercoat of the intermediate product 18 accommodated in the vacuum chamber 22 is generated using the plasma generated in the plasma generator 24 and supplied into the vacuum chamber 22. A plasma CVD layer is laminated on the layer 14.

  More specifically, the vacuum chamber 22 further includes a chamber body 26 and a lid 28. The chamber body 26 has a bottomed cylindrical shape or a casing shape including a cylindrical side wall portion 30 and a lower bottom wall portion 32 that closes a lower opening of the side wall portion 30. The lid body 28 is configured by a flat plate having a size capable of covering the entire upper opening 34 of the chamber body 26. Then, the inside of the chamber body 26 is hermetically sealed by the lid body 28 being locked by a lock mechanism (not shown) in a state of covering the upper opening 34 of the chamber body 26.

  A substrate holder 36 is disposed on the inner surface of the lower bottom wall portion 32 of the chamber body 26. The substrate holder 36 has a flat plate shape as a whole, and is fixed in a state where one plate surface is superposed on the inner surface of the lower bottom wall portion 32. Further, the upper surface formed of the other plate surface of the substrate holder 36 is a support surface 38.

  In the present embodiment, the intermediate product 18 is supported on the support surface 38 of the substrate holder 36 with the back surface of the substrate 12 opposite to the formation side of the undercoat layer 14 being overlapped. It has become. That is, the substrate 12 is held by the substrate holder 36 in a state where the surface of the undercoat layer 14 opposite to the substrate 12 side faces upward and is exposed in the chamber body 26. It is.

  An exhaust pipe 40 is installed at one place on the circumference of the lower end of the side wall 30 of the chamber body 26 so as to penetrate the side wall 30 so as to communicate with the inside and outside of the chamber main body 26. A vacuum pump 42 is provided on the exhaust pipe 40. By the operation of the vacuum pump 42, the gas in the chamber body 26 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe 40, and the inside of the chamber body 26 is decompressed.

  Further, first and second two introduction pipes 44 a and 44 b are installed through the side wall 30 at the intermediate portion in the height direction of the side wall 30. In the first and second introduction pipes 44a and 44b, one end side opening portions that enter and open into the chamber body 26 serve as first and second gas introduction ports 46a and 46b, respectively. The first cylinder 48a and the second cylinder 48b are connected to the other ends of the first introduction pipe 44a and the second introduction pipe 44b on the side extending to the outside of the chamber body 26, respectively. Further, first and second on-off valves 50a and 50b are provided at the connection portions of the first and second cylinders 48a and 48b with the first and second introduction pipes 44a and 44b, respectively.

Here, monosilane (SiH ₄ ) gas is accommodated in the first cylinder 48a, and oxygen gas is accommodated in the second cylinder 48b at a pressure exceeding the atmospheric pressure. The monosilane gas accommodated in the first cylinder 48a is used as a source gas contained in a film forming gas for forming the topcoat layer 16 made of a SiO ₂ plasma CVD layer. The oxygen gas stored in the second cylinder 48b is used as a reaction gas contained in the film forming gas.

The source gas of the film forming gas accommodated in the first cylinder 48a and the reaction gas of the film forming gas accommodated in the second cylinder 48b are determined according to the compounds constituting the top coat layer 16, respectively. It can be changed as appropriate. Here, since the top coat layer 16 is made of a silicon compound, as a raw material gas for forming a film for forming the top coat layer 16, for example, disilane (Si _{2) in} addition to the monosilane gas. Inorganic silicon compound gas such as H ₆ ) gas, siloxanes such as tetramethyldisiloxane, hexamethyldisiloxane, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane, methoxytrimethylsilane, ethoxytrimethylsilane, dimethoxydimethylsilane, dimethoxydiethylsilane, dimethoxy Diphenylsilane, trimethoxysilane, trimethoxymethylsilane, trimethoxyethylsilane, trimethoxypropylsilane, triethoxymethylsilane, triethoxydimethylsilane, triethoxyethylsilane, triethoxyphenylsilane, Gases of organosilicon compounds such as silanes such as tetramethylsilane, tetramethoxysilane and tetraethoxysilane, silazanes such as hexamethyldisilazane, tetramethyldisilazane, etc. are used alone or in combination as appropriate. Used. When two or more types of silicon compound gases are used, the plurality of types of silicon compound gases may be mixed and contained in one first cylinder 48a, or two or more types of silicon compound gases may be contained. You may accommodate separately in the some 1st cylinder 48a, respectively. In addition to oxygen gas, for example, nitrogen gas, ammonia gas, or the like can be used as a reactive gas for forming a film for forming the topcoat layer 16 made of a silicon compound.

  A plasma generator 24 is fixed to the lid 28 of the vacuum chamber 22 having such a structure. The plasma generator 24 has a known structure similar to a plasma generation chamber provided in a plasma CVD apparatus disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-220680.

  That is, although not clearly shown in FIG. 2, a pair of plasma generating electrodes having a flat plate shape are disposed in the plasma generator 24 so as to face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2, a high frequency power source 52 is connected to the plasma generator 24, and the high frequency power source 52 is connected to a pair of plasma generating electrodes (not shown) built in the plasma generator. It is electrically connected to one of them. The plasma generator 24 is provided with a gas supply pipe 54 for introducing an inert gas such as argon gas between a pair of plasma generating electrodes. Furthermore, the lower end part of the plasma generator 24 is provided with an air outlet 56 for blowing out the plasma generated by the plasma generator 24 downward. In addition, an annular plate-like outer flange portion 57 that protrudes laterally at a predetermined height and continuously extends in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the plasma generator 24. Is formed.

  Such a plasma generator 24 is inserted into an insertion hole 58 formed in the central portion of the lid 28 of the vacuum chamber 22, and the lower end portion having the air outlet 56 is inserted into the chamber body 26. Have been placed. In such an arrangement state, the plasma generator 24 is attached to the lid 28 by the mounting bracket 60 fixed to the lid 28. Under the attachment of the plasma generator 24 to the lid 28, the air outlet 56 is located above the substantially central portion of the support surface 38 of the substrate holder 36 fixed to the lower bottom wall portion 32 of the chamber body 26. It is arranged so as to open downward at a position separated from it by a predetermined distance.

  Thus, in the plasma generator 24, argon gas is introduced between the pair of plasma generation electrodes through the gas supply pipe 54, and the high frequency power supply 52 is interposed between the pair of plasma generation electrodes. As a result, the plasma gas of argon can be generated. Further, the argon plasma gas generated in this way is blown out from the blow-out port 56 toward the substantially central portion of the support surface 38 of the substrate holder 36 in the chamber body 26.

  By the way, in the plasma CVD apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, in particular, the blowing direction of the argon plasma gas blown out from the blow-out port 56 with respect to the lower end portion of the plasma generating apparatus 24 that is plunged into the chamber main body 26. A blowing direction changing device 62 for changing is mounted.

  The blowing direction changing device 62 has a circular flat plate-like rotating body 64. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotating body 64 is configured by an integral assembly in which two semicircular divided flat plates 66 and 66 are assembled to each other so as to form a circle. Yes. In other words, the fixing portions 68 project from the both end portions in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of each divided flat plate 66. Then, with the two divided flat plates 66 and 66 abutting the butting surfaces 70 and 70 each having a planar end surface, the fixing portions 68 corresponding to each other are brought into contact with each other and fixed with bolts. As a result, they are assembled together. Thus, a disk-shaped rotating body 64 is formed.

  In such a disk-shaped rotating body 64, a circular recess 72 that is open on the upper surface is formed at the center thereof. On the cylindrical side surface of the circular recess 72, a circumferential groove 74 having a rectangular cross section is provided so as to continuously extend over the entire circumference. A circular through hole 76 is formed in the center of the bottom of the circular recess 72 so as to be concentric with the circular recess 72. Furthermore, an annular contact terminal 78 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the rotating body 64 so as to surround the circular recess 72 from the outside. In addition, a large number of gear teeth are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical surface of the rotating body 64 over the entire periphery, and the outer peripheral surface is used as a gear surface 80. Is configured as one gear.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating body 64 is disposed directly below the lid body 28 in the chamber body 26. The lower end portion of the plasma generator 24 is inserted into the circular recess 72 of the rotating body 64, and the outer flange portion 57 integrally formed with the lower end portion of the plasma generator 24 has a circular recess. It is loosely fitted in a circumferential groove 74 provided around the side surface of 72. Further, in such a state, the air outlet 56 of the plasma generator 24 is disposed so as to extend coaxially with respect to the through hole 76 provided in the bottom of the circular recess 72 of the rotating body 64. It communicates with the through hole 76.

  As a result, the rotating body 64 is assembled to the lower end portion of the plasma generating device 24 that enters the chamber main body 26 in a state of being opposed to the support surface 38 above the substrate holder 36 in the chamber main body 26. Is installed. Further, the rotating body 64 is rotatable around the central axis of the plasma generator 24 under such a mounted state. Further, the argon plasma gas blown from the blowout port 56 of the plasma generator 24 is blown out toward the center of the support surface 38 of the substrate holder 36 through the through hole 76 of the rotating body 64. .

  A drive motor 82 is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the lid body 28 to which the rotating body 64 is attached via the plasma generator 24. The drive motor 82 is composed of, for example, a servo motor that can rotate in a forward and reverse direction by a desired rotation angle. Further, the drive motor 82 has a drive shaft 84 extending through the lid body 28, and a drive gear 86 is fixed to a distal end portion of the drive shaft 84 that protrudes into the chamber body 26. The drive gear 86 meshes with many gear teeth provided on the gear surface 80 formed of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 64 rotatably mounted on the lower end portion of the plasma generator 24. Thus, as the drive motor 82 is rotationally driven in the forward / reverse direction, the rotating body 64 is also rotationally driven in the forward / reverse direction. As is clear from this, in the present embodiment, the drive motor 82, the drive shaft 84, the drive gear 86, and the gear surface 80 of the rotating body 64 constitute rotating means.

  Here, a servo mechanism is configured by the drive motor 82, the command unit 88 installed outside the vacuum chamber 22, and the control unit 90. The command unit 88 outputs an instruction signal for instructing the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the rotating body 64 to the control unit 90. The control unit 90 outputs a control signal for controlling the operation of the drive motor 82 to the drive motor 82 in accordance with an instruction signal from the command unit 88. The drive motor 82 incorporates a known angle detection sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation angle of the drive shaft 84 (drive gear 86). Thus, in the present embodiment, the rotating body 64 is rotated by a desired rotation angle in an arbitrary direction by the servo mechanism configured by the command unit 88, the control unit 90, and the drive motor 82. It is. The command unit 88 and the control unit 90 are configured by a computer or the like, for example.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, two plate fins 92, 92 as guide members are disposed on the lower surface of the rotating body 64. Here, the plate fin 92 is made of an inorganic glass plate having excellent heat resistance, and has a width larger than the diameter of the through hole 76 of the rotating body 64 by a predetermined dimension, and from the rotating body 64 to the support surface 38 of the substrate holder 36. It has a long rectangular flat plate shape having a length shorter than the distance by a predetermined dimension. Each plate fin 92 has a flat guide surface 94 on one surface in the thickness direction.

  And such two plate fins 92 and 92 are arrange | positioned so that it may extend in the up-down direction, making the guide surfaces 94 mutually oppose on the radial direction both sides which pinched | interposed the through-hole 76 of the lower surface of the rotary body 64 between them. Has been. Further, the two plate fins 92, 92 are disposed on the lower surface of the rotating body 64 in a horizontal direction (the paper surface of FIG. 2) perpendicular to the opposing direction of the two plate fins 92, 92 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 2). One hinge portion 96 having a rotation shaft extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis is fixed. The two plate fins 92 and 92 are attached to the two hinge portions 96 and 96 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis of each hinge portion 96.

  As a result, the two plate fins 92, 92 are arranged around both sides of the through hole 76 on the lower surface of the rotating body 64 around the rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the opposing direction of the two plate fins 92, 92. It is fixed so that it can rotate. In other words, the two plate fins 92 and 92 are fixed to the lower surface of the rotating body 64 so as to be tiltable in the direction in which the lower end portions of the guide surfaces 94 and 94 approach or separate from each other. is there. In addition, the hinge part 96 is also comprised using heat resistant materials, for example, ceramic materials.

  As is clear from FIG. 2, a hinge portion 98 having a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of each plate fin 92 is fixed to the surface of each plate fin 92 opposite to the guide surface 94. . A longitudinal bar-like movable arm 100 is attached to the hinge portion 98 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis at one end portion in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the two movable arms 100, 100 have two plate fins 92 at one end in the longitudinal direction of the two movable arms 100, 100 with respect to the surface opposite to the guide surfaces 94, 94 of the two plate fins 92, 92, respectively. , 92 are attached so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction around a rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the opposing direction of.

  Further, the two movable arms 100 and 100 are respectively plate-shaped with respect to the two movable units 102 and 102 respectively disposed on both sides of the lower surface of the rotating body 64 with the two plate fins 92 and 92 interposed therebetween. The fins 92 and 92 are attached at the end opposite to the attachment side. The two movable units 102 and 102 have the same structure.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the movable unit 102 includes a drive motor 104, a long screw shaft 106, a casing 108, and a female screw member 110. The drive motor 104 is composed of, for example, a servo motor that can rotate in a forward and reverse direction by a desired rotation angle. The drive motor 104 is fixed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the plate fin 92 on the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the rotating body 64. The screw shaft 106 is disposed between the drive motor 104 and the plate fin 92 so as to extend horizontally, and is fixed to a drive shaft (not shown) of the drive motor 104 at one end. The casing 108 includes two side plates 105 (only one is shown in FIG. 4) extending along the screw shaft and one end portion of the two side plates that is opposite to the drive motor 104 side. The connecting plate 107 is fixed to the lower surface of the rotating body 64. The end of the screw shaft 106 opposite to the side fixed to the drive motor 104 is supported so as to be rotatable and immovable with respect to the connecting plate 107 of the casing 108. The female screw member 110 is slidably contacted with the two side plates 105 of the casing 108 and is screwed to the screw shaft 106 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the screw shaft 106 and non-rotatable. Yes.

  In the movable unit 102 having such a structure, the screw shaft 106 rotates in the forward / reverse direction as the drive motor 104 rotates in the forward / reverse direction. The female screw member 110 moves toward both axial sides of the screw shaft 106 by such rotation of the screw shaft 106 in the forward and reverse directions. That is, the movable unit 102 is configured to have a screw feed mechanism including the drive motor 104, the screw shaft 106, and the female screw member 110.

  A hinge portion 112 is fixed to the lower surface of the female screw member 110 of the movable unit 102. The hinge portion 112 includes a rotation shaft extending in parallel with the rotation shaft of the hinge portions 96 and 98 fixed to the plate fin 92. The movable arm 100 is attached to the hinge portion 112 at the end opposite to the attachment side to the plate fin 92 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis of the hinge portion 112. Thereby, the movable arm 100 is attached to the female screw member 110 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the opposing direction of the two plate fins 92, 92.

  Thus, in this embodiment, as the female screw member 110 of the movable unit 102 moves along the screw shaft 106 to both sides in the axial direction by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 104, the movable arm 100 is At both ends, the plate fin 92 is moved toward or away from the plate fin 92 while rotating around the respective rotation axes of the hinge portion 112 of the female screw member 110 and the hinge portion 98 of the plate fin 92. As a result, the plate fin 92 is pushed or pulled by the movable arm 100 and rotated around the rotation axis of the hinge portion 96 fixed to the rotating body 64, so that the horizontal direction in FIG. It comes to tilt. As apparent from this, in this embodiment, the two plate fins 92, 92 are tilted in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 by the two movable units 102, 102 and the two movable arms 100, 100. Tilt means are configured.

  As shown by a solid line in FIG. 4, when the female screw member 110 is located at a substantially central portion in the axial direction of the screw shaft 106, the plate fin 92 is arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction. ing. Further, when the female screw member 110 moves to the plate fin 92 side from the substantially central position in the axial direction of the screw shaft 106 by the rotational drive in one direction (for example, the clockwise positive direction) of the drive motor 104, it is movable. The arm 100 also moves closer to the plate fin 92, whereby the plate fin 92 is pushed by the movable arm 100 toward the center axis of the through hole 76 (blow-off port 56) of the rotating body 64, It arrange | positions so that it may incline downward toward the central axis of the through-hole 76 (toward the left side of FIG. 4). On the other hand, when the drive motor 104 is rotationally driven in the other direction (for example, the counterclockwise reverse direction), the female screw member 110 is located at a substantially central portion in the axial direction of the screw shaft 106 from the position opposite to the plate fin 92 side. The movable arm 100 is also moved away from the plate fin 92, whereby the plate fin 92 is pulled by the movable arm 100 in a direction away from the central axis of the through hole 76 (blow-off port 56) of the rotating body 64. Thus, the plate fins 92 are arranged so as to incline downward toward the side opposite to the central axis side of the through hole 76 (toward the right side in FIG. 4).

  Here, the servo motor is configured by the drive motors 104 of the two movable units 102, the command unit 88 and the control unit 90 installed outside the vacuum chamber 22. The command unit 88 outputs an instruction signal for instructing the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the drive motor 104 to the control unit 90. The control unit 90 outputs a control signal for controlling the operation of the drive motor 104 to the drive motor 104 in accordance with an instruction signal from the command unit 88. The drive motor 104 includes a known angle detection sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation angle.

  In the plasma CVD apparatus 20 of this embodiment having such a structure, the drive motor 104 is input to the command unit 88 by a servo mechanism including the command unit 88, the control unit 90, and the drive motor 104. The female screw member 110 and the movable arm 100 are rotated at an arbitrary rotation angle in an arbitrary direction and at an arbitrary distance in any one of the approaching direction and the separation direction to the plate fin 92. Can only be moved. And thereby, within the range of the rotation position in which the plate fin 92 inclines downward toward the opposite side to the central axis side of the through hole 76 from the rotation position in which the plate fin 92 inclines downward toward the center axis of the through hole 76. Thus, it is rotated around the rotation axis of the hinge portion 96 by an arbitrary angle in an arbitrary direction and tilted in the left-right direction in FIG.

  Thus, in the plasma CVD apparatus 20, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 2, the female screw member 110 of each movable unit 102 is moved in the axial direction of the screw shaft 106 by the rotational drive control of the drive motors 104 and 104 by the servo mechanism. The two plate fins 92 and 92 are arranged so as to hang down in the vertical direction by being positioned in the portion. As a result, the argon plasma blown into the chamber body 26 from the plasma generator 24 through the blowout port 56 is guided by the guide surfaces 94 of the plate fins 92 while being held by the substrate holder 36. The undercoat layer 14 is blown out toward the center.

  Further, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the female screw member 110 of one movable unit 102 located on the right side in FIG. The female screw member 110 of the other movable unit 102 located on the left side in FIG. 2 is disposed on the end of the plate fin 92 side (left side in FIG. 2), while the screw shaft 106 is opposite to the plate fin 92 side ( The two plate fins 92 and 92 are arranged so as to be inclined downward to the left side in FIG. 2 by being arranged at the end of the left side in FIG. As a result, the argon plasma blown into the chamber body 26 from the plasma generator 24 through the blowout port 56 is guided by the guide surfaces 94 of the plate fins 92 while being held by the substrate holder 36. The undercoat layer 14 is blown out toward the left end portion in FIG.

  Further, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the female screw member 110 of one movable unit 102 located on the right side in FIG. The female screw member 110 of the other movable unit 102 located on the left side in FIG. 2 is arranged at the end opposite to the plate fin 92 side (right side in FIG. 2), while the plate fin 92 side (see FIG. 2, the two plate fins 92, 92 are both arranged so as to tilt downward to the right side in FIG. 2. As a result, the argon plasma blown into the chamber body 26 from the plasma generator 24 through the blowout port 56 is guided by the guide surfaces 94 of the plate fins 92 while being held by the substrate holder 36. The undercoat layer 14 is blown out toward the right end in FIG.

  In the plasma CVD apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, the female screw members 110 and 110 of the two movable units 102 are connected to the plate fin 92 side of the screw shaft 106 by the rotational drive control of the drive motors 104 and 104 by the servo mechanism. 2 is disposed at the opposite end, so that the plate fin 92 located on the right side of FIG. 2 is inclined downward to the right side of FIG. 2 and the plate fin 92 located on the left side of FIG. 2, the two plate fins 92, 92 are arranged in a square shape in which the distance from each other gradually increases toward the lower side. As a result, the argon plasma blown into the chamber body 26 from the plasma generator 24 through the blowout port 56 is guided by the guide surfaces 94 of the plate fins 92 while being held by the substrate holder 36. The undercoat layer 14 is blown toward substantially the entire surface.

  Further, by controlling the rotational drive of the drive motors 104 and 104 by the servo mechanism, the female screw members 110 and 110 of the two movable units 102 are respectively arranged at the end portions of the screw shaft 106 on the plate fin 92 side. 2 so that the plate fin 92 positioned on the right side of FIG. 2 tilts downward to the left side of FIG. 2 and the plate fin 92 positioned on the left side of FIG. 2 tilts downward to the right side of FIG. The plate fins 92, 92 are arranged in an inverted letter C shape in which the interval gradually decreases toward the lower side. As a result, the argon plasma blown into the chamber body 26 from the plasma generator 24 through the blowout port 56 is guided by the guide surfaces 94 of the plate fins 92 while being held by the substrate holder 36. The undercoat layer 14 is blown out toward a narrow area at the center.

  As described above, in the plasma CVD apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, the positions of the female screw members 110 and 110 of the two movable units 102 are appropriately changed by the rotational drive control of the drive motors 104 and 104 by the servo mechanism. Thus, the blowing direction of the argon plasma blown into the chamber body 26 from the plasma generator 24 through the blowout port 56 can be adjusted to a desired direction. Further, only one of the two movable units 102 and 102 is rotationally driven, so that only one of the two plate fins 92 and 92 is tilted, or the two movable units 102 are moved. , 102 with different rotational drive amounts of the drive motors 104, 104 and different tilt angles of the two plate fins 92, 92, the air is blown into the chamber body 26. The direction of the argon plasma blowing direction can be changed in a wider range.

  By the way, when the top coat layer 16 made of a plasma CVD layer is formed on the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18 using the plasma CVD apparatus 20 having such a structure, for example, as follows. The operation proceeds.

  That is, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate product 18 is held by the substrate holder 36 while being supported on the support surface 38 of the substrate holder 36. At this time, the intermediate product 18 is disposed with the surface of the undercoat layer 14 facing upward.

Next, after the upper opening 34 is covered with the lid 28, the lid 28 is locked to the chamber body 26 by a lock mechanism (not shown). Thereby, the inside of the vacuum chamber 22 is hermetically sealed. Thereafter, the vacuum pump 42 is operated to reduce the pressure in the vacuum chamber 22. By this depressurization operation, the pressure in the vacuum chamber 22 is, for example, about 10 ⁻⁵ to 10 ⁻³ Pa.

  When the pressure in the vacuum chamber 22 reaches a predetermined value, argon gas or the like is introduced into the plasma generator 24 through the gas supply pipe while the vacuum pump 42 is kept operating. The gas introduced into the plasma generator 24 is not limited to argon gas. In addition to argon, for example, an inert gas such as helium, neon, xenon, or krypton, or a gas other than the inert gas that does not react with the plasma of the film forming gas in a plasma state is appropriately used. It is done. Further, the gas introduced into the plasma generator 24 may be a part of gas components contained in the film forming gas.

  Further, while introducing argon gas into the plasma generator 24, the high-frequency power source 52 connected to the plasma generator 24 is turned on. Thereby, the argon gas is converted into plasma in the plasma generator 24 to generate argon plasma, and the argon plasma is supplied to the vacuum chamber 22 through the outlet 56 of the plasma generator 24 and the through hole 76 of the rotor 64. Blow in.

  At this time, the two plate fins 92 disposed on the lower surface of the rotating body 64 are controlled by the rotational drive control of each drive motor 104 by the servo mechanism including the command unit 88, the control unit 90, and the two drive motors 104, 104. 92 is rotated around the rotation axis of the hinge portion 96. That is, the two plate fins 92, 92 are arranged so as to incline downward to the right in FIG. 2 from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 to incline to the left in FIG. Within the range up to the position, it is tilted in the left-right direction in FIG.

  In addition, as described above, while the two plate fins 92 and 92 are tilted in the left-right direction in FIG. 2, under the rotational drive control of the drive motor 82 by the servo mechanism including the command unit 88, the control unit 90 and the drive motor 82. Thus, the rotating body 64 is rotated around the central axis of the air outlet 56 of the plasma generator 24. As a result, the two plate fins 92 and 92 are tilted in all directions around the central axis of the air outlet 56. As is clear from this, in this embodiment, the two movable units 102 and 102, the two movable arms 100 and 100, the drive motor 82, the drive shaft 84, the drive gear 86, and the multiple gear teeth of the rotating body 64 are provided. Thus, tilting means for tilting the two plate fins 92, 92 in all directions around the central axis of the blowout port 56 is configured.

  Thus, the argon plasma blown into the vacuum chamber 22 from the plasma generator 24 is blown out evenly over the entire surface of the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18. Here, the control unit 90 controls the rotation of the two plate fins 92 and 92 and the rotation speed of the rotating body 64, and for example, the rotation and rotation thereof are continuous or intermittent. To be implemented.

  As described above, the argon plasma is blown out toward the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18, while the first cylinder 48a connected to the first introduction pipe 44a and the second introduction pipe 44b respectively. The first opening / closing valve 50a and the second opening / closing valve 50b of the second cylinder 48b are each opened, and the monosilane gas in the first cylinder 48a and the oxygen gas in the second cylinder 48b are supplied to the first and second gas introduction ports. It introduce | transduces in the vacuum chamber 22 through 46a, 46b.

Thereby, the monosilane gas and the oxygen gas are brought into contact with the argon plasma in the vacuum chamber 22 to convert them into plasma. Then, by reacting the plasma of their monosilane gas plasma and oxygen gas to generate SiO _2, such product SiO _2, it is laminated on the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18.

At this time, since argon plasma is blown out toward the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18, the reaction between the monosilane gas plasma and the oxygen gas plasma causes the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18 in the vacuum chamber 22. Progresses locally in the space above. Thereby, most of the SiO ₂ produced by such a reaction is deposited on the surface of the undercoat layer 14.

Moreover, since the argon plasma is uniformly blown over the entire surface of the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18 by the rotation of the two plate fins 92, 92 and the rotation of the rotating body 64, the monosilane gas The SiO ₂ generated by the reaction between the plasma and the oxygen gas plasma is deposited on the entire surface of the undercoat layer 14 with a substantially uniform thickness.

Thus, a top coat layer made of a SiO ₂ plasma CVD layer is laminated on the entire surface of the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18. Thus, the intended resin glass 10 having the structure shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

As is apparent from the above description, when the plasma CVD apparatus 20 of the present embodiment is used, most of the SiO ₂ generated by the reaction between the monosilane gas plasma and the oxygen gas plasma in the vacuum chamber 22 is intermediate. Since it can be deposited on the surface of the undercoat layer 14 of the product 18, it is possible to effectively suppress the attachment of SiO ₂ to the inner surface of the vacuum chamber 22 and the surface of the undercoat layer 14 such as the substrate holder 36. Can do. Therefore, it is advantageously freed from an extra work for removing SiO ₂ adhering to an unnecessary portion in the vacuum chamber 22, or the number of times of such work can be drastically reduced. As a result, it is possible to achieve the simplification and efficiency of the process of forming the topcoat layer 16 and, consequently, the manufacturing process of the resin glass 10 very effectively.

  Then, according to the plasma CVD apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, the top coat layer 16 made of a plasma CVD layer is uniformly laminated with a uniform thickness on the entire surface of the undercoat layer 14 of the intermediate product 18. It can be done.

  The specific configuration of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, this is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited by the above description.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the guide member is configured by the two plate fins 92 and 92 having a rectangular flat plate shape, but the guide member is disposed so as to extend into the reaction chamber (vacuum chamber 22) from the outlet. The structure is not particularly limited as long as it guides the flow of plasma blown out from the outlet into the reaction chamber. Therefore, for example, the guide member may be configured by a member having a cylindrical shape or a casing shape other than the flat plate shape. Of course, even in the guide member having such a cylindrical shape or a casing shape, it is necessary to be able to tilt.

  The guide member may be tiltable in at least one direction. Therefore, the rotary body 64, the drive motor 82, the drive shaft 84, the drive gear 86 fixed to the rotary body 64, and the many gear teeth formed on the rotary body 64 are omitted, and the two plate fins 92, 92 are replaced with plasma. You may make it provide around the blower outlet 56 of the lower surface of the generator 24. FIG. In this case, the two plate fins 92, 92 are tilted only in the left-right direction in FIG.

  Further, as the structure of the tilting means for tilting the guide member, various known structures can be adopted. For example, the tilting means can be configured using a cylinder mechanism or a gear mechanism including a rack and a pinion. Further, instead of the movable arm 100, another link mechanism or cam mechanism may be used. Further, there is no problem even if the tilting means has a structure in which the guide member is tilted manually.

  Further, for example, a film forming roller for winding a base material portion unwound from a roll around which a long base material is wound is provided in the vacuum chamber 22 and is wound around the film forming roller. It is also possible to configure the plasma CVD apparatus with a structure in which the plasma CVD layer is continuously formed on the surface of the base material portion.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the specific example of what applied this invention to the plasma CVD apparatus used in order to form the topcoat layer which consists of a plasma CVD layer on the surface of resin glass, this invention was shown. Of course, the present invention can be advantageously applied to any plasma CVD apparatus used to form a plasma CVD layer on the surface of a substrate.

  In addition, although not enumerated one by one, the present invention can be carried out in a mode to which various changes, modifications, improvements, etc. are added based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. It goes without saying that all are included in the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Resin glass 12 Board | substrate 14 Undercoat layer 16 Topcoat layer 18 Intermediate product 20 Plasma CVD apparatus 22 Vacuum chamber 24 Plasma generator 56 Blowing outlet 62 Blowing direction change apparatus 64 Rotating body 82,104 Drive motor 84 Drive shaft 86 Drive gear 92 Plate fin 94 Guide surface 100 Movable arm 102 Movable unit 106 Screw shaft 110 Female thread member

Claims (1)

A reaction chamber containing a substrate; a plasma generating portion for generating plasma; a blowout port for blowing the plasma generated in the plasma generating portion into the reaction chamber; and a wall portion of the reaction chamber passing through the reaction chamber. And an introduction pipe for supplying the film forming gas into the reaction chamber from the opening at the front end thereof, and for blowing the film forming gas toward the plasma blown out from the blowout port. The film-forming gas supplied into the reaction chamber is brought into contact with the plasma blown into the reaction chamber from the plasma generator through the outlet, and the film-forming gas plasma CVD is applied to the surface of the substrate. A plasma CVD apparatus for forming a layer,
A guide member, which is disposed so as to extend from the outlet to the reaction chamber and guides the flow of plasma blown into the reaction chamber from the outlet, is provided so as to be tiltable and tilts the guide member. The guide member is composed of a pair of guide plates, and the pair of guide plates are spaced from each other at a position sandwiching the air outlet. The pair of guide plates are tilted in a direction opposite to each other by the tilting means so as to be tiltable in a state of being opposed to each other and extending from the outlet to the reaction chamber. Furthermore, a rotating body that has the air outlet and is arranged to be rotatable around the central axis of the air outlet is provided, and the pair of guide plates are attached to the rotor. It can be tilted against In addition, a rotating means for rotating the rotating body is provided, and the pair of guide plates are connected to the air outlet by rotating the rotating body at a desired angle and tilting the pair of guide plates by the rotating means. A plasma CVD apparatus that can be tilted in all directions around a central axis .

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