Support device for sputtering machine

1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to support devices and, more particularly, to an supporting device for use in a sputtering machine.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the process of sputtering, work-pieces generally are hung/supported by a support device in a sealed vacuum processing chamber. To evenly deposit the ions of a target on the surfaces of work-pieces in the sputtering process, the work-pieces need to be rotated/turned over to the surfaces to be coated/processed are done. However, the rotating needs to be done manually, which means opening the vacuum seal and is time consuming and inefficient.

Therefore, what is needed is to provide a support device which can eliminate or at least alleviate the above problem.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a support device according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the movements of the support device shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the support device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment includes a chamber housing 110 , which accommodates a first driving assembly 120 , a second driving assembly 130 , a frame 140 , and a number of holding devices 150 . The first and second driving assemblies 120 , 130 are separately mounted in the chamber housing 110 . The frame 140 is rotatably mounted in the chamber housing 110 adjacent to the first and second driving assemblies 120 , 130 , and meshed with the first driving assembly 120 . The holding devices 150 are rotatably mounted on the frame 140 and meshed with the second driving assembly 130 .

The chamber housing 110 includes a top plate 112 , a bottom plate 114 and a wall 116 perpendicularly interconnected between the top plate 112 and the bottom plate 114 . The top plate 112 includes a mounting surface 112 a . The top plate 112 , bottom plate 114 , and the side wall 116 cooperatively define a sealed chamber 118 , which accommodates the first and second driving assemblies 120 , 130 , the frame 140 , and the number of holding devices 150 and is suitable for carrying out the sputtering process. The chamber housing 110 can be evacuated by a suitable vacuum pumping and can be backfilled with a suitable gas, such as argon.

The first driving assembly 120 is received in the chamber housing 110 and includes a first motor 122 , a first shaft 124 , a driving gear 126 , a follower gear 128 , a first connecting tube 123 , a bearing 125 , and a second connecting tube 127 . The first motor 122 is mounted on a mounting surface 112 a of the top plate 112 of the chamber housing 110 and is configured for driving the first shaft 124 , the driving gear 126 , the follower gear 128 , and the second connecting tube 127 to rotate. The first shaft 124 is drivably installed to the first motor 122 . The first connecting tube 123 is mounted on the mounting surface 112 a of the top plate 112 by an end thereof and parallel with the first shaft 124 . The first connecting tube 123 is a hollow barrel and includes a first bearing flange 123 a radially extending from an end of the first connecting tube 123 away from the mounting surface 112 a of the top plate 112 . The thrust bearing 125 is fitted on an end of the first connecting tube 123 distal from the mounting surface 112 a of the top plate 112 and mounted on the first bearing flange 123 a . The thrust bearing 125 includes an upper ring 125 a , a lower ring 125 b supported by the first bearing flange 123 a , and a number of balls 125 c contained by the upper and lower rings 125 a , 125 b and capable of running along a race defined between the upper and lower rings 125 a , 125 b . The driving gear 126 is mounted on an end of the first shaft 124 distal from the mounting surface of the top plate. The second connecting tube 127 similar to the first connecting tube 123 includes a second bearing flange 127 a inwardly extending from an end of the second connecting tube 127 thereby the second connecting tube 127 can be rotatably hung on the upper ring 125 a of the thrust bearing 125 . The follower gear 128 is mounted on an end of the second connecting tube distal the thrust gearing meshed with the driving gear 126 . The follower gear 128 defines a through hole 128 a in a center thereof for portion of the second driving assembly 130 passing there-through to rotate the holding devices 150 .

Alternatively, the first connecting tube 123 can be constructed by a plurality of ribs which are mounted on the mounting surface 112 a of the top plate 112 and arranged equiangularly, and each of the ribs includes a protrusion perpendicularly protruding cooperatively from an end of the rib away from the top plate 112 forming a bearing support together with other protrusions, to serve as the first bearing flange 123 a to support the bearing 125 . Similarly, the second connecting tube 127 cab also be constructed by a plurality of ribs which are mounted on the upper ring 125 a of the bearing 125 and arranged equiangularly, and each of the ribs includes a protrusion perpendicularly protruding from an end of the rib adjacent to the first connecting tube 123 cooperatively to form a holing flange together with other protrusions, to serve as the second bearing flange 127 a to be hung on the bearing 125 .

The second driving assembly 130 is received in the chamber housing 110 and includes a second motor 132 , a second shaft 134 , a driving bevel gear 136 , a number of follower bevel gear 138 . The second motor 132 is mounted on the mounting surface 112 a of the top plate 112 of the chamber housing 110 , and is surrounded by the hollow first connecting tube 123 . The second shaft 134 is installed to the second motor 132 and extends through the first connecting tube 123 , the thrust bearing 125 , the second connecting tube 127 and the through hole 128 a of the follower gear 118 . The driving bevel gear 136 is mounted on an end of the second shaft 134 distal from the mounting surface of the top plate. The follower bevel gears 138 are mounted on the holding devices 150 and meshed to the driving bevel gear 138 .

The frame 140 includes a connecting plate 142 having an upper surface 142 a and an opposite lower surface 142 b , an outer wall 144 formed on the lower surface 142 b at the edge portion thereof, and an inner wall 146 extending from the connecting plate 142 at the lower surface 142 b and parallel to the outer wall 144 . The frame 140 is mounted on the follower gear 118 by the upper surface 142 a of the connecting plate 142 . The connecting plate 142 defines a center hole 142 c at the center thereof coaxial with the inner wall 146 and running through the upper and lower surfaces 142 a , 142 b for the second shaft 134 passing there-through. The outer wall 144 and the inner wall 146 define a number pair of shaft holes 144 a , 146 a therein for rotatably supporting the holding devices 150 .

Each of the holding device 150 includes a spindle 152 rotatably positioned into the shaft holes 144 a , 146 a , and at least one supporting bar 154 perpendicularly mounted on the spindle 152 . The at least one supporting bar 154 is mounted on the spindle 152 by a center portion thereof. An end of the spindle 152 adjacent to the inner wall 146 extends through the inner wall 146 towards the center of the connecting plate 142 and supports the follower bevel gear 138 thereon.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , in use, work-pieces 160 are loaded on the holding device 150 of the support device 100 . The chamber housing 110 is evacuated by suitable vacuum pumping and forms a suitable atmosphere for sputtering the work-pieces 160 . A target 170 is positioned below the work-pieces 160 by a tray 180 . Abeam of argon plasma is applied to bombard the target 170 and eject the atoms/ions of the target 170 into the chamber 118 of the chamber housing 110 . The sputtered atoms/ions in the chamber 118 tend to deposit on the surfaces of the work-pieces 160 in the chamber 118 . Once the work pieces are coated on facing sides they are turned over and rotated for others surface to be coated. In the turning operation of the work-pieces 160 the first driving assembly 110 is controlled by operator to drive the frame 140 and the holding devices 150 rotating relative to a first axis, and the second driving assembly 120 is controlled to drive the holding devices 150 to rotate relative to a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. As a result, the work-pieces 160 can be turned over and rotated mechanically by the first and driving assemblies 110 , 120 , without disrupting the vacuum of the chamber 118 and is timesaving and efficient compared with manual operation of turning over and rotating the work-pieces.

Alternatively, the frame 140 can be directly connected on the distal end of the second connecting tube 127 instead of using the follower gear 128 to connect the frame 140 and connecting tube 127 . The outer wall 144 of the frame 140 can be shaped as a cylindrical barrel which has a tooth bar (not shown) formed on the outer circumference surface thereof and meshed with the driver gear 126 . In this configuration, the follower gear 128 of the first driving assembly 120 can be omitted and substituted by the tooth bar directly formed on the outer circumference surface of the outer wall of the frame 140 for simplifying the support device 100 .

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.