Patent Document

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 050 23 354 filed Oct. 26, 2005, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
         [0002]     The invention relates to an arrangement for the vapor deposition on substrates.  
         [0003]     Synthetic films are often provided with a metal layer under vacuum, for example in order to make them impermeable to gases or electrically conductive. If not all of the areas are to be made conductive, but only certain tracks, those areas which are not to receive a metal layer are provided with strips of oil film. Due to these films, no metal adheres on the lamination. These oil film strips are applied by means of an oil evaporator.  
         [0004]     An arrangement is known for producing metal-free strips in the case of film tracks coated in vacuo, in particular for capacitors, in which a vessel filled with oil is provided, which has at least one vapor outlet tube (DE 39 22 187 A1). The outlet nozzle of this vapor outlet tube terminates below the surface level of the oil in the coating chamber in the direct proximity of a substrate to be coated.  
         [0005]     Furthermore, a method and an arrangement for the production of metal-free strips in the metal vapor deposition of an insulating material band is known (EP 0 756 020 A1). Herein in the area of the metal-free strips to be produced a covering band is applied, which is coated with oil on one side by means of an oil evaporator. Details of the structure of the oil evaporator are not provided.  
         [0006]     In another known arrangement for the production of oil maskings a cylindrical masking roller is provided, into which masking oil is introduced (JP 2001-279425). On the circumference of the masking roller is an opening through which the masking oil is output. A thin lamination with throughbores is located above the roller, with the throughbores overlapping with the opening.  
         [0007]     A further arrangement in which a substrate is guided past several linearly disposed nozzles is disclosed in JP 2004-214185. The arrangement described here is comprised of a box-shaped device filled with oil, with the heating system located beneath the arrangement.  
         [0008]     The above noted arrangements do not include the capability of dosing the quantity of oil vapor streaming out.  
         [0009]     The invention therefore addresses the problem of providing an arrangement for the vapor deposition of oil on substrates, which makes it possible to set the quantity of the oil vapor streaming out.  
         [0010]     The problem is resolved according to the present invention.  
         [0011]     The invention consequently relates to an arrangement for the vapor deposition on substrates. It includes a pan as well as a cover with linearly disposed bores. Above this cover is seated a seal-off device which also has openings. Through the seal-off device the bores of the cover can be closed or opened, with all bores being addressed simultaneously. Within an extremely short time different evaporation rates can be set through the seal-off device.  
         [0012]     The arrangement described in the present invention has the advantage that a significantly better uniformity of the vapor pressure, and therewith of the oil strip precision, over the full working width of the film is attained.  
         [0013]     The arrangement includes several bores disposed in a row and the bores can be opened or closed by means of a seal-off device. This seal-off device also includes openings and by actuating the seal-off device, the bores can be opened or closed.  
         [0014]     This seal-off device addresses all bores simultaneously such that a uniform opening of all bores is made possible.  
         [0015]     It becomes therewith possible to set an evaporation rate of the thermally inert evaporation arrangement within an extremely short time.  
         [0016]     One advantage of the invention comprises that the seal-off device can be disposed such that the quantity of vapor streaming out remains constant at all times. Due to this constancy of the vapor quantity, the coating of the substrate becomes also uniform, such that the arrangement is especially well suited for forming strips, patterns as well as areal metal-free zones on metallized synthetic films.  
         [0017]     A further advantage of the invention lies therein that the evaporation space during the preparation as well as during the termination of the vapor deposition process can be closed by means of the seal-off device. Leakage of the oil therewith becomes improbable, which also reduces to a minimum the contamination of the environment with oil. The oil loss can thus be drastically reduced. The seal-off device consequently has the capability of assuming an open or a closed position.  
         [0018]     With the capability of adjusting the quantity of oil vapor streaming out, the oil quantity can be optimized such that it becomes possible to increase the quality of the metal-free zones with respect to edge precision and residual oil quantities. Precise setting can for example take place thereby that by means of measuring equipment the quantity of discharged oil is determined. If the discharged quantity of oil vapor does not correspond to the nominal value, a signal is conducted to a device via which the seal-off device is actuated such that the quantity of oil vapor is again set to the nominal value.  
         [0019]     The arrangement is further conceptualized such that the rising vapor can leave the arrangement only in the upward direction, i.e. toward one side, since it is entirely impermeable to the vapor on all other sides. Thereby that cross flows no longer occur the vapor pressure is nearly equal in all regions of the arrangement, whereby also no flow resistances exist in the space below the nozzles. Due to the shallow structuring of the crucible and of the seal-off device in the form of a slide, the arrangement can assume much smaller dimensions than previously known evaporator units.  
         [0020]     The subject matter of the invention is shown in the drawing and will be explained in further detail in the following. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an arrangement for the vapor deposition on substrates of oil with the substrate guided past.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the arrangement according to  FIG. 1  without substrate and without a nozzle bar,  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a segment of a longitudinal section through the arrangement according to  FIG. 1  along A-A with a slide in the open position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0024]      FIG. 4  is a section through the arrangement shown in  FIG. 1  along B-B after rotation by 90° in the clockwise direction with the slide in the open position.  
         [0025]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an arrangement  1  for the vapor deposition on substrates of materials, for example organic materials, under vacuum. Over the arrangement  1  a laminar substrate  38  is guided along B-B. If the substrate is a synthetic film, it can, as described in JP 2001-279425, be moved over the arrangement  1 . To generate sharp-edged strips, the distance between substrate  38  and the arrangement  1  is most often very small.  
         [0026]     The arrangement  1  includes an oil pan  2 , in which is disposed oil to be evaporated. On this oil pan  2  lies an insulating layer  3 , on which a heating plate  4  is disposed. On the heating plate  4  is located a nozzle bar  5 , which has a gap  6  on its top edge. Instead of a gap  6 , individual nozzles can also be provided. Along line A-A is provided a slide  7  with bores, of which in  FIG. 1  only bore  10  is visible. The gap  6  is delimited by two regions  24 ,  25 .  
         [0027]     The arrangement  1  comprises furthermore connecting elements  28  to  32 , which connect with one another the oil pan  2 , the insulating layer  3 , the heating plate  4  as well as the nozzle bar  5  resting thereon.  
         [0028]     The oil pan  2  includes at least one heating system, which is shown in  FIG. 1  as a rod heater  9 . This heater  9  is for example a resistance heater, which is preferably operated via an AC voltage source. Through this rod heater  9  the oil in the oil pan  2  is evaporated.  
         [0029]     To prevent the condensation of the vapor in the central region of the arrangement  1 , the heating plate  4  includes at least one separate rod heater  8 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the arrangement  1  depicted in  FIG. 1  without the substrate  38  and without the nozzle bar  5 . Again, the slide  7  can be seen, which is disposed in the heating plate  4 . As shown here, this slide  7  can assume the form of an elongated plate. The heating plate  4  is in contact on the insulating plate  3  which rests on the oil pan  2 , and the insulating plate  3 , the heating plate  4  and the oil pan  2  are connected with one another through the connecting elements  28  to  37 . The rod heaters  9 ,  8  and  27  are moreover evident.  
         [0031]     The insulating plate  3  serves for the thermal decoupling of oil pan  2  and the plate  4 . With the separate heaters, the rod heater  8  and the heater  9  different temperatures can therewith be set in the plate  4  and in the oil pan  2 . The insulating plate  3  is comprised of a substantially flexible synthetic material, which serves simultaneously as a sealing material.  
         [0032]     The heating plate  4  has in its center along line A-A a recess into which the slide  7  is fitted. This slide  7  has several openings  10  to  14  disposed in a row, which are spaced substantially equidistantly from one another. The slide  7  is displaceable along A-A (see arrow). It must have at least as many openings  10  to  14  as the heating plate  4 —not visible in  FIG. 2 —has bores, the distance of the centers of two openings  10  to  14  corresponding to the distance of the centers of two bores in the heating plate  4 . The diameter of the bores of the heating plate  4  corresponds substantially to the diameter of the openings  10  to  14  of the slide  7 . Consequently the slide  7  is of a length corresponding to the length of the heating plate  4  plus the distance of the center of two openings  10  to  14 . It becomes thereby possible that, for one, the centers of openings  10  to  14  can lie precisely over the centers of the bores and, for another, between the centers of the bores. If they are precisely above the bores, the vapor can escape from the interior of the oil pan  2 , however, if they lie between the bores, an escape of the vapor is prevented. It is understood that between these two extreme positions there are possible positions in which a reduced quantity of vapor can escape. It is understood that a greater number of, and also smaller sized, openings  10  to  14  can be provided, than is shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0033]     On both sides of the heating plate  4 , which extend along A-A, a sealing material  15 ,  16  is disposed which prevents vapor from escaping from the oil pan  2 . This sealing material  15 ,  16  contains preferably a rubber-type elastic material.  
         [0034]      FIG. 3  depicts a segment of a longitudinal section through the arrangement according to  FIG. 1  along A-A. In the interior space  18  of the oil pan  2  can be seen the heating rod  9 , which is completely encompassed by oil. On the oil pan  2  is located the insulating plate  3 , on which the heating plate  4  is disposed. This heating plate  4  includes several bores  19  to  22 , out of which the vapor can rise through the openings  10  to  14  of the slide  7  into the interspace  26 .  
         [0035]     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 a  portion of the slide  7  with opening  10  lies outside of the oil pan  2 . The slide  7  is so disposed on the heating plate  4  that a portion of the openings  12  to  14  of the slide is aligned with the bores  19  to  21  of the heating plate  4 . The rising vapor can consequently penetrate out of the arrangement  1  through the bores  19  to  21  and the openings  12  to  14  into the interspace  26  of the nozzle bar  5  and from there through the gap  6 . In this way the vapor reaches the substrate  38  which is moved over the arrangement  1 .  
         [0036]     If the slide  7  is slid further into the arrangement  1  it can be attained that the openings  10  to  12  now only partially lie above bores  19  to  22 . The slide  7  in this case acts like a throttle valve, since less vapor can penetrate out of the oil pan  2 . If the slide  7  is slid even further into the arrangement  1 , the coating process is completely interrupted, since none of the openings still lies over the bores  19  to  22  and it is no longer possible for vapor to escape from the oil pan  2 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 4  shows a section through the arrangement  1  depicted in  FIG. 3  along B-B after rotation about 90° in the clockwise direction. A substrate  38  is moved over and past the arrangement  1 . In the interior  18  of the oil pan  2  extends the heating rod  9 , which is completely encompassed by oil  17 .  
         [0038]     On the oil pan  2  lies the insulating plate  3  as well as the heating plate  4  and the nozzle bar  5 . All of these elements  2  to  5  are held together with connecting pieces  29 ,  34 , such that they are closely adjoining one another. It is thereby not possible for vapor to escape at the sides of the arrangement  1 . Through the heating plate  4  extend the two heating rods  8  and  27 . Visible are also the rubber-type elastic material  15 ,  16  as well as the sealing material  23  which extends parallel to bore  19 . This bore  19  is consequently, as are the remaining bores  20 ,  21 ,  22 , also completely encompassed by sealing material.  
         [0039]     On the heating plate  4  rests the slide  7  with opening  12 , which lies directly over bore  19 . Therewith the rising vapor can reach the interspace  26 . In order to attain uniform oil strips specifically in the case of nozzle bars with few nozzles, an equalization of the vapor pressure must be possible without marked flow resistances. Therefore the interspace  26  beneath the nozzles must be as large as possible. The nozzle bar  5  has a gap  6  defined by the two regions  24 ,  25 . Through the gap  6  the vapor can leave the arrangement  1  and reach the substrate  38  moving past it, where it lastly condenses.  
         [0040]     The sliding of the slide  7  accomplishes that the opening  12  no longer, or only partially, lies over bore  19 .  
         [0041]     If it lies only partially over bore  19 , a throttle effect is obtained, in contrast, if the opening  12  is no longer over bore  19 , no vapor can escape. Consequently the slide  7  acts as a seal-off valve.  
         [0042]     Once the coating process has been completed and the arrangement  1  has cooled down, the connecting pieces  29 ,  34  can be removed and the unit can readily be taken apart and cleaned.

Technology Category: 8