Vacuum Coating System for Coating Elongate Substrates

Abstract

A vacuum coating system for coating elongate substrates includes one or several coating sections and one or several pump sections, at lease one magnetron in an arrangement as a sputter-down-variant above the substrate which has a target surface opposite the upper side of the substrate and/or in an arrangement as a sputter-up-variant below the substrate which has a target surface opposite the lower side of the substrate, and a transport device. The aim is to form an inline coating system for the two lateral coatings of elongate substrates, wherein construction costs and space required are reduced. The aim is achieved by use of a transport device arranged in a divided manner on a drive plane and on a transport plane. In sputter-up-variants, the underside of a magnetron body containing the magnetron lies above the drive plane.

Description

The invention is described in more detail below on the basis of an execution example. In the associated drawings,

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through an inline coating system with the twin-side coating principle and a transport device arranged in a divided manner in a transport plane and a drive plane, and

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of this inline coating system.

In the left-hand section of the vacuum coating system 1, a coating section in sputter-down mode 3 is shown between two pump sections 2; this means that a magnetron 4 for coating the substrate 5 from above is arranged above the substrate plane 6, the target surface 7 being opposite to the top side of the substrate 5. In the right-hand section of the vacuum coating system 1, a coating system in sputter-up mode 8 is arranged between two pump sections 2. Here, coating is carried out from above onto the substrate 5, in that a magnetron 4 is arranged below the substrate plane 6, the target surface 7 being opposite to the underside of the substrate 5.

The transport device 9 is situated in two planes, the drive plane 10 and the transport plane 11. The drive plane 10 accommodates the drive elements, such as the motor with the drive shaft (not shown), the toothed belt transmission 12 and the drive rollers 13, whereas only the toothed belt transmission 12 and powered or unpowered transport rollers 14 are arranged in the transport plane 11.

The function of this report device is particularly illustrate in the schematic representation in FIG. 2. The drive power is transmitted from the drive plane 10 to the transport plane 11 by means of a connection of the toothed belt transmission 12 guided perpendicular to the drive plane 10. There are two such connections in each of the coating sections 3 and 8, thus ensuring that every second and up to a limit of every third transport roller 14 is driven by a drive roller 13 of the drive plane 10. Consequently, the horizontal connections of the toothed belt transmission 12 for power transmission in the transport plane 11 are short lines and extend across no more than 3 transport rollers 14. The power transmission of the transport device 9 can be carried out through these branchings in sections in a parallel manner or alternatively in the drive plane 10 and the transport plane 11.

The substructure for mounting the drive elements 15 in the drive plane 10 is affixed to the base of the coating and pump sections 2, 3 and 8, whereas the transport rollers 14 are mounted on a substructure for the transport elements 16 in the transport plane 11. The substructure for the transport elements 16 consists of chamber elements 17 firmly attached to the sidewalls of the coating and pump sections 2, 3 and 8 and removable bridge elements 18. For inserting and positioning the magnetron 4 in the coating section of the sputter-up variant 8, a horizontal connection of the toothed belt transmission 12 in the transport plane 11 and a removable bridge element 18 with one or two transport rollers 14 is removed without impairing the transmission of the drive power to the substrate 5. A sufficiently large span of the transport rollers 14 for assembly of the magnetron 4 and the other process-specific fixtures in the sputter-up variant from above is attained via the same available opening as for maintenance and assembly of the magnetron 4 in the sputter-down variant. The fixtures for the sputter-up variant are fastened by means of a suspension structure (not shown), which skirts outside the substrate width on the substrate 5 below the transport pane 11. For a multivalent use of the pump sections 2, the vacuum pump 19 is arranged in the convention arrangement on the pump section 2 for upward suction or alternatively below the transport plane 11 for lateral suction.

Vacuum coating system for coating elongate substrates

REFERENCE LIST

• 1 Vacuum coating system
• 2 Pump section
• 3 Coating section of the sputter-down variant
• 4 Magnetron
• 5 Substrate
• 6 Substrate plane
• 7 Target surface
• 8 Coating section of the sputter-up variant
• 9 Transport device
• 10 Drive plane
• 11 Transport plane
• 12 Toothed belt transmission
• 13 Drive roller
• 14 Transport roller
• 15 Substructure for the drive elements
• 16 Substructure for the transport elements
• 17 Fixed chamber elements
• 18 Removable bridge elements
• 19 Vacuum pump

Claims

1. Vacuum coating system for coating elongate substrates, said coating system having one or several coating sections and one or several pump sections, at least one magnetron in an arrangement as a sputter-down-variant above a substrate, said variant having a target surface opposite an upper side of the substrate and/or in an arrangement as a sputter-up-variant below the substrate, said sputter-up-variant having a target surface opposite a lower side of the substrate, and a transport device, wherein the transport device is arranged in a divided manner on a drive plane and on a transport plane, the drive plane being arranged in such a manner that in the sputter-up-variant, an underside of a magnetron body containing the magnetron lies above the drive plane.

2. Vacuum coating system according to claim 1, wherein transport elements of the transport plane can be disconnected from the drive system and removed without impairing transmission of drive power to the substrate.

3. Vacuum coating system according to claim 1, wherein, in an arrangement as a sputter-up-variant, the magnetron is connected to fastening elements that laterally extend from a top of the vacuum coating system alongside the substrate as far as the magnetron body.

4. Vacuum coating system according to claim 1, wherein drive elements of the drive plane are encased by a casing which acts as flow resistance.

5. Vacuum coating system according to claim 1, wherein mutually corresponding suction openings are arranged in a coating section and a pump section above and below the transport plane.

6. Vacuum coating system according to claim 1, wherein a vacuum pump is arranged below the transport plane in a pump section.

7. Vacuum coating system according to claim 1, wherein connection for power transmission from the drive plane to the transport plane is arranged in a coating section only.