Patent Application
20230398563
This application claims priority to Taiwanese Invention Patent Application No. 111121270, filed on Jun. 8, 2022.
The disclosure relates to a parallel-type coating apparatus and a method for coating a multilayer film.
Referring to
However, in the existing continuous coating production line, it is necessary to dispose two buffer areas 14 on opposite sides of each coating area 13 to regulate the timing of the carriers 16 entering each coating area 13, so the equipment used for the existing continuous coating production line is long and occupies a large floor area. Furthermore, the existing continuous coating production line includes the buffer areas 14 and the automatic return unit 15, and requires a large number of the carriers 16 to maintain the continuous production, thereby causing increase in the production and operating costs thereof.
Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a parallel-type coating apparatus that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.
Accordingly, a parallel-type coating apparatus of this disclosure is suitable for coating at least one object to be coated carried by a carrier, and includes a double-layer vacuum chamber, a plurality of process chambers, a feed lifting mechanism, and a plurality of first conveying devices.
The double-layer vacuum chamber includes a feed chamber and a discharge chamber opposite to each other in a Z-direction. The feed chamber is configured for feeding the carrier. The discharge chamber is configured for discharging the carrier, The process chambers are provided for performing at least a fixed point coating on the at least one object to be coated. Two of the process chambers are immediately adjacent to the double-layer vacuum chamber. The double-layer vacuum chamber and the process chambers are arranged in two juxtaposed rows in a Y-direction transverse to the Z-direction.
The feed lifting mechanism is disposed in one of the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 and the process chambers, and includes a feed lifting seat for carrying the carrier. The feed lifting seat is movable in the Z-direction, and includes a first transfer device for conveying the carrier to move in an X-direction transverse to the Y-direction and the Z-direction, and a second transfer device for conveying the carrier to move in the Y-direction. The first conveying devices are respectively disposed in the other ones of the process chambers for conveying the carrier to move in the X-direction or Y-direction.
Another object of this disclosure is to provide a method for coating a multilayer film that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.
Accordingly, a method for coating a multilayer film on at least one object to be coated carried by a carrier, comprising:
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that various features may not be drawn to scale.
Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
In the description below, based on the orientation shown in
Referring to
The loading and unloading area 2 includes a fixed seat 21 and a loading lifting mechanism 22 mounted on the fixed seat 21. The loading lifting mechanism 22 includes a loading lifting seat 221, and a loading drive unit 222 for driving the loading lifting seat 221 to move up and down in the Z-direction. The loading lifting seat 221 is configured for placement of each carrier 9 thereon, and has a loading conveying device 223 for conveying each carrier 9 to move in the X-direction. In this embodiment, the loading conveying device 223 is a horizontal conveying system. Since the horizontal conveying system of the coating apparatus is an existing technology and has many variations, and since those with ordinary skill in the art can infer the extended details from the above description, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.
The double-layer vacuum chamber 3 is immediately adjacent to the loading and unloading area 2 in the X-direction, and includes a partition plate 34, a heating device 33, and two vacuum valves 71. The partition plate 34 divides the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 into a feed chamber 31 and a discharge chamber 32 which are independent airtight compartments and which are opposite to each other in the Z-direction. The feed chamber 31 is disposed above the discharge chamber 32. The vacuum degree of each of the feed chamber 31 and the discharge chamber 32 of this embodiment ranges from 10−1 to 10−2 Torr, but in some embodiments, the vacuum degree of each of the feed chamber 31 and the discharge chamber 32 may range from atmospheric pressure to 10−6 Torr. The vacuum degree is determined according to the operation requirements, and the degrees of vacuum of the feed chamber 31 and the discharge chamber 32 are not necessarily the same, but can be set separately.
The heating device 33 is mounted inside the feed chamber 31 for heating and baking the objects to be coated 91 to remove moisture therefrom. However, in other variations where baking is not required, the heating device 33 may be omitted. The vacuum valves 71 are respectively disposed on the feed chamber 31 and the discharge chamber 32 for isolating the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 from the atmospheric environment to maintain its degree of vacuum.
The treatment chamber 41 is immediately connected to the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 in the Y-direction. The first coating chamber 42 is connected to the treatment chamber 41 in the X-direction. The second coating chamber 43 is connected to the first coating chamber 42 in the X-direction. The third coating chamber 44 is connected to the second coating chamber 43 in the Y-direction. The buffer chamber 45 is connected to the first coating chamber 42 in the Y-direction, and is connected between the third coating chamber 44 and the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 in the X-direction. With the double-layer vacuum chamber 3, the treatment chamber 41, the first to third coating chambers 42 to 44, and the buffer chamber 45 being arranged in two juxtaposed rows in the Y-direction, the length of the coating apparatus of this disclosure in the X-direction can be shortened. The feed chamber 31, the treatment chamber 41, and the first to third coating chambers 42 to 44 have the same height in the Z-direction. The buffer chamber 45 has a height the same as that of the double-layer vacuum chamber 3.
A vacuum valve 72 is disposed between the treatment chamber 41 and the double-layer vacuum chamber 3. The treatment chamber 41 is used for pre-treatment of the objects to be coated 91, such as, but not limited to, plasma cleaning, plasma activation and surface modification, plasma etching, etc. Plasma cleaning can remove the surface contamination of the objects to be coated 91 and clean the metal surface or conductive ground pad, etc. Plasma activation can change the physical or chemical properties of the objects to be coated 91, which helps to improve the bondability of subsequent coatings. The vacuum degree of the treatment chamber 41 of this embodiment ranges from 10−1 to 10−3 Torr, but may also have different ranges according to the structural characteristics, material types or operation requirement of the objects to be coated 91, for example, 10−2 to 10−3 Torr or 10−1 to 1031 2 Torr.
The first to third coating chambers 42 to 44 and the buffer chamber share a same vacuum chamber, communicate with each other, and have the same vacuum degree which is not lower than that of the treatment chamber 41. In this embodiment, the vacuum degree of each of the first to third coating chambers 42 to 44 and the buffer chamber 45 is 10−3 Torr. With the chambers being arranged from a low to a high degree of vacuum, the vacuuming time of each chamber can be shortened, and the efficiency of evacuation can be optimized to shorten the production cycle, thereby increasing the productivity and reducing the manufacturing cost of this disclosure.
The first conveying devices 51 are respectively disposed in the feed chamber 31, the discharge chamber 32, the treatment chamber 41, and the first to third coating chambers 42 to 44 for conveying the carrier 9 to move in the X- or Y-direction. The second conveying devices 52 are respectively located on bottom sides of the first conveying devices 51 for respectively driving the first conveying devices 51 to rotate 90 degrees. The first and second conveying devices 51, 52 respectively adopt the principle of a horizontal conveying system and a rotary table to achieve the function of conveying the carrier 9 in the X-direction and the Y-direction. Through these configurations, the carrier 9 can move among the feed chamber 31, the discharge chamber 32, the treatment chamber 41, and the first to third coating chambers 42 to 44.
Referring to
A vacuum valve 73 is disposed between the first coating chamber 42 and the treatment chamber 41, and a vacuum valve 74 is disposed between the buffer chamber 45 and the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 to maintain the degree of vacuum in each chamber.
Referring to
The buffer chamber 45 is not provided with any target 401, 402, but serves as a buffer zone for temporarily storing the carriers 9 (see
Referring to
In step 801, with reference to
In step 802, the loading lifting seat 221 is driven to rise to the same height as the feed chamber 31 of the double-layer vacuum chamber 3, after which the vacuum valve 71 disposed on the feed chamber 31 is opened, and the loading conveying device 223 is activated to feed the carrier 9 carrying the objects to be coated 91 into the feed chamber 31.
In step 803, as the carrier 9 stays in the feed chamber 31, the heating device 33 is activated to heat and bake the objects to be coated 91 on the carrier 9 for 30 to 480 seconds so as to remove moisture from the objects to be coated 91.
In step 804, with reference to
In step 805, after the plasma cleaning, the vacuum valve 73 is opened, the second conveying device 52 in the treatment chamber 41 is activated to rotate 90 degrees, after which the first conveying device 51 in the treatment chamber 41 is activated to drive the carrier 9 to move in the X-direction from the treatment chamber 41 into the first coating chamber 42. The carrier 9 stays in the first coating chamber 42, and the objects to be coated 91 are subjected to a first sputtering process for 15 to 90 seconds. It should be noted that this disclosure uses a fixed point coating, that is, during each coating process, the objects to be coated 91 will not move, and they will only move horizontally together with the carrier 9 when the carrier 9 is switched to the next process chamber.
In step 806, after the first sputtering process, the first conveying device 51 in the first coating chamber 42 is activated to drive the carrier 9 to move in the X-direction from the first coating chamber 42 into the second coating chamber 43. The carrier 9 stays in the second coating chamber 43, and the objects to be coated 91 are subjected to a second sputtering process for 120 to 480 seconds.
In step 807, after the second sputtering process, the second conveying device 52 in the second coating chamber 43 is activated to rotate 90 degrees, after which the first conveying device 51 in the second coating chamber 43 is activated to drive the carrier 9 to move in the Y-direction from the second coating chamber 43 into the third coating chamber 44. The carrier 9 stays in the third coating chamber 44, and the objects to be coated 91 are subjected to a third sputtering process for 120 to 480 seconds.
In step 808, after the third sputtering process, the second conveying device 52 in the third coating chamber 44 is activated to rotate 90 degrees, after which the first conveying device 51 in the third coating chamber 44 is activated to drive the carrier 9 to move in the X-direction from the third coating chamber 44 into the buffer chamber 45. The feed lifting seat 61 is then used to drive the carrier 9 from the buffer chamber 45 into the first coating chamber 42. As the carrier 9 stays in the first coating chamber 42, the objects to be coated 91 are subjected to a fourth sputtering process for 60 to 120 seconds. Through this, each object to be coated 91 is formed into a coated object 91′ with a multilayer film (not shown). The layer structure of the multilayer film is stainless steel-copper-copper-stainless steel, and the thickness of each layer is 0.03 to 0.1 μm, 1.5 to 3.5 μm, 1.5 to 3.5 μm, and 0.3 to 0.8 μm, respectively. This kind of layer structure can be used as an electromagnetic shielding film that can prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI). The thickness of each layer of the multilayer film is proportional to the time that the objects to be coated 91 stayed in each process chamber.
In step 809, after the fourth sputtering process, the first conveying device 51 in the first coating chamber 42 is activated to drive the carrier 9 carrying the coated objects 91′ to move in the Y-direction from the first coating chamber 42 back to the feed lifting seat 61 of the buffer chamber 45.
In step 810, with reference to
In step 811, the vacuum valve 71 disposed on the discharge chamber 32 is opened, and the first conveying device 51 in the discharge chamber 32 is activated to drive the carrier 9 carrying the coated objects 91 to move out of the discharge chamber 32 back to the loading lifting seat 221. It should be noted that the vacuum valve 71 of the first embodiment adopts a vertical movable valve that can be moved in the Z-direction to open and close. However, the other vacuum valves of the first embodiment may also adopt this type of vertical movable valve.
In step 812, the coated objects 91′ are removed from the carrier 9.
Although only one carrier 9 is described above, in actual practice, the carriers 9 may be fed into the coating apparatus of this disclosure in a continuous intermittent manner according to the time of entry and exit of each carrier 9 into and from each process chamber. By repeating steps 801 to 811 for each carrier 9, an automated coating production can be achieved. Further, each carrier 9 can be reused. Of course, the loading lifting mechanism 22 may be omitted in this disclosure, in this case, a robotic arm or a human hand may be used to place or remove the carriers 9 into or from the double-layer vacuum chamber 3, the effect of reusing the carriers 9 may be similarly achieved.
It should be noted that, during the fixed point coating process, the carrier 9 is always maintained at the same height, and after the coating process is completed, only then will the carrier 9 be lowered to a position equal to the height of the discharge chamber 32 of the double-layer vacuum chamber 3. It can be understood that, in other variations, the positions of the feed chamber 31 and the discharge chamber 32 may be interchanged such that the discharge chamber 32 is disposed above the feed chamber 31, and the heights of the process chambers may be adjusted and lowered accordingly. Similarly, the carrier 9 can be maintained at the same height during the fixed point coating process, the carrier 9 can be fed from the feed chamber 31 and discharged from the discharge chamber 32.
From the aforesaid description, it is apparent that each carrier 9 can selectively enter and exit the same buffer chamber 45 or flexibly travel back and forth to the first coating chamber 42 for coating according to the operating time of each process chamber or coating requirements. Compared with the existing continuous coating production line requiring many carriers 16 (see
Through the double-layer design of the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 of this disclosure to achieve an upper feed chamber 31 and a lower discharge chamber 32, the conveying distance of each carrier 9 from the discharge chamber 32 to the feed chamber 31 can be shortened, jamming of the incoming and outgoing materials can be prevented so as to shorten the production cycle, increase the production capacity, and reduce the number of the carriers 9. In addition, with the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 and the process chambers 41 to being arranged in two juxtaposed rows, the length of the coating apparatus of this disclosure in the X-direction is shortened, thereby reducing the area occupied by the coating apparatus of this disclosure.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
A plurality of titanium (Ti) targets 401 are disposed in the first coating chamber 42, while a plurality of copper (Cu) targets 402 are disposed in the second coating chamber 43. The feed lifting mechanism 6 is disposed in the second coating chamber 43. Through this, the second embodiment can achieve the purpose of sputtering a titanium-copper (Ti-Cu) multilayer film on each object to be coated 91 and apply it to a redistribution layer (RDL) of a coreless substrate.
As can be seen from the above various embodiments and modified examples, each process chamber can be an independent vacuum chamber or share a same vacuum chamber, and according to the coating requirements, pre-treatment or installation of the targets 401, 402 of different materials and quantities can be selectively conducted in each process chamber, so that different number of layers and thicknesses of films can be coated on various objects to be coated 91 (see
Referring to
Referring to
The loading and unloading area 2 (see
A plurality of titanium (Ti) targets 404 are disposed in the first coating chamber 42′, and a plurality of copper (Cu) targets 402 are disposed in the second coating chamber 43′. The feed lifting mechanism 6 is disposed in the conveying chamber 48.
In this embodiment, the carrier 9 is fed into the feed chamber 31 of the double-layer vacuum chamber 3, passes through the buffer chamber 45′, and enters the treatment chamber 41′ for subjecting the objects to be coated 91 (see
It should be noted that the feed lifting mechanism 6 of the embodiments described above is disposed in the last process chamber, so that each embodiment has the advantage of reducing the vacuuming time for feeding and discharging, and has a simple mechanism configuration. However, in some embodiments, the feed lifting mechanism 6 may be disposed in the double-layer vacuum chamber 3. In this case, as shown in
In summary, in the parallel-type coating apparatus of this disclosure, through the double-layer design of the double-layer vacuum chamber 3, the purpose of feeding and discharging materials (objects to be coated 91) from the upper and lower layers can be realized, so that the conveying distance of each carrier 9 from the discharge chamber 32 back to the feed chamber 31 can be shortened, the production cycle can also be shortened, the production capacity can be increased, and the number of the carrier 9 can be reduced. Further, with the double-layer vacuum chamber 3 and the process chambers being arranged in two juxtaposed rows in the Y-direction, the length of the coating apparatus of this disclosure in the X-direction can be shortened to thereby reduce the area occupied by the coating apparatus of this disclosure, and each carrier 9 can selectively go back and forth to the same process chamber, so the number of the process chambers and the carriers 9 can be reduced, the waiting time of each process chamber can be shortened, and the utilization rate can be improved. Therefore, the object of this disclosure can indeed be achieved.
In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects; such does not mean that every one of these features needs to be practiced with the presence of all the other features. In other words, in any described embodiment, when implementation of one or more features or specific details does not affect implementation of another one or more features or specific details, said one or more features may be singled out and practiced alone without said another one or more features or specific details. It should be further noted that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 111121270 | Jun 2022 | TW | national |
