Apparatus and method for thin-film processing applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017067149-A1
Application number	US-201415118810-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 21, 2014
Priority date	Feb 21, 2014
Publication date	Mar 9, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to the present disclosure, a flexible substrate coating apparatus is provided. The flexible substrate coating apparatus includes a vacuum process chamber for processing a flexible substrate. The vacuum process chamber includes one or more deposition units and a cleaning unit positioned directly downstream of the one or more deposition units. In another aspect, a method for depositing a thin-film on a flexible substrate is provided. The method for depositing a thin-film on a flexible substrate includes vacuum coating of the flexible substrate, thereby depositing one or more layers on the flexible substrate, and cleaning the flexible substrate directly downstream of the coating.

First claim

1 . A flexible substrate coating apparatus, comprising:
a vacuum process chamber for processing a flexible substrate, the vacuum process chamber including one or more deposition units; and a cleaning unit positioned directly downstream of the one or more deposition units.

2 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit includes a particle displacement unit and a particle dissipation unit.

3 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1 , further including one or more deflection rolls that are positioned downstream of the one or more deposition units, wherein all of the one or more deflection rolls that contact the flexible substrate on its coated side and positioned downstream of the one or more deposition units are positioned downstream of the cleaning unit.

4 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit includes a first adhesive roll and a second adhesive roll.

5 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first adhesive roll is positioned so as to contact the flexible substrate in operation of the flexible substrate deposition apparatus, and the second adhesive roll is positioned such that the surface of the second adhesive roll is in contact with the surface of the first adhesive roll.

6 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum process chamber further includes a coating drum having an axis of rotation.

7 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein all of the one or more deposition units are positioned below the axis of rotation of the coating drum.

8 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising one or more of a cooling unit for cooling the coating drum, a cooling unit for cooling the cleaning unit, and a heating unit for heating the coating drum.

9 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1 , further including one or more spool chambers for receiving a flexible substrate spool, wherein the pressure in the one or more spool chambers is higher than in the vacuum process chamber.

10 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit includes a laser.

11 . A method for depositing a thin-film on a flexible substrate, the method comprising:
vacuum coating the flexible substrate, thereby depositing one or more layers on the flexible substrate; and cleaning the flexible substrate directly downstream of the coating.

12 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the cleaning includes separating the particles from the flexible substrate and storing the particles.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , further including contacting the flexible substrate on the coated side of the flexible substrate after the coating, wherein contacting is undertaken exclusively upstream of the vacuum coating and downstream of the cleaning.

14 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the cleaning includes contacting the flexible substrate with a first adhesive roll, and contacting the first adhesive roll with a second adhesive roll, wherein the second adhesive roll is stickier than the first adhesive roll.

15 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the second adhesive roll is stickier than the first adhesive roll.

16 . The flexible substrate deposition apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second adhesive roll is positioned such that it is not in contact with the flexible substrate during operation of the flexible substrate deposition apparatus.

17 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the cleaning unit is positioned such that it contacts the flexible substrate at a position where the flexible substrate is in contact with the coating drum.

18 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein at least half of the one or more deposition units are positioned below the axis of rotation of the coating drum.

19 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the one or more spool chambers are positioned adjacent to the vacuum process chamber.

20 . The flexible substrate coating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit includes a suction unit.

Assignees

• Deppisch Thomas
• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Deppisch Thomas

Classifications

• C23C14/562

  for coating elongated substrates · CPC title

• C23C14/24

  Vacuum evaporation · CPC title

• H01J2237/335

  Cleaning · CPC title

• H01J37/32082

  Radio frequency generated discharge (H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/5873 Primary

  Removal of material · CPC title