Heat-transfer roller for sputtering and method of making the same

Abstract

This sputtering cathode has a sputtering target having a tubular shape in which the cross-sectional shape thereof has a pair of long side sections facing each other, and an erosion surface facing inward. Using the sputtering target, while moving a body to be film-formed, which has a film formation region having a narrower width than the long side sections of the sputtering target, parallel to one end face of the sputtering target and at a constant speed in a direction perpendicular to the long side sections above a space surrounded by the sputtering target, discharge is performed such that a plasma circulating along the inner surface of the sputtering target is generated, and the inner surface of the long side sections of the sputtering target is sputtered by ions in the plasma generated by a sputtering gas to perform film formation in the film formation region of the body to be film-formed.

1 . A cylindrical heat-transfer roller for cooling or heating an item passing around the roller, comprising:
 a cylinder wall encircling a hollow interior of the roller and having two opposite ends;   an end plate attached to each of the two ends of the cylinder wall; and   a centrally located shaft member extending from each end plate to support the roller for rotation about a longitudinally extending central axis of the roller;   wherein one or more flow-through passages are embedded within the cylinder wall and provide a conduit or conduits through which a heat-transfer medium can flow from near one end of the cylinder wall to the other end of the cylinder wall;   wherein each of the shaft members has a longitudinally extending central passage that is in fluid communication with the one or more flow-through passages in the cylinder wall near a respective one of the two ends of the cylinder wall; and   wherein through-holes are formed in the end plates so that the hollow interior of the roller is in fluid communication with exterior regions surrounding the roller, whereby pressure can be equalized between the hollow interior of the roller and the exterior regions surrounding the roller.   
     
     
         2 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more flow-through passages embedded within the cylinder wall comprises a single conduit extending in a zig-zag or serpentine manner from near one end of the cylinder wall to the other end of the cylinder wall, with a series of first portions that extend in a first direction and that are arranged parallel to each other and a series of second portions that extend in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, with the second portions each extending between a respective adjacent pair of the first portions and with successive ones of the second portions being located at alternating ends of the first portions. 
     
     
         3 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 2 , further comprising a pipe near each end of the roller and disposed within the hollow interior of the roller, with each pipe connecting the longitudinally extending central passage in one of the shaft members to a corresponding end of the single conduit extending in zig-zag or serpentine fashion. 
     
     
         4 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 2 , wherein the first direction is a circumferential direction with respect to the roller and the second direction is a longitudinal direction with respect to the roller that is parallel to the longitudinally extending central axis of the roller. 
     
     
         5 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 2 , wherein the first direction is a longitudinal direction with respect to the roller that is parallel to the longitudinally extending central axis of the roller and the second direction is a circumferential direction with respect to the roller. 
     
     
         6 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 2 , wherein the single conduit is constituted by a groove with a zig-zagging shape that extends along a surface of the cylinder wall and a closure plate with a shape that matches the zig-zagging shape of the groove, with the conduit being bounded by wall surfaces of the groove, a bottom surface of the groove, and the closure plate. 
     
     
         7 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 6 , wherein the closure plate has been joined to the wall surfaces of the groove by friction stir welding. 
     
     
         8 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 6 , further comprising one or more props disposed within the groove to support the closure plate. 
     
     
         9 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 8 , wherein the props comprise corner blocks located at junctions between the wall surfaces of the groove and the bottom surface of the groove, which corner blocks form shoulder surfaces against which the closure plate bears. 
     
     
         10 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more flow-through passages embedded within the cylinder wall comprises a plurality of passages that are arranged parallel to each other and that extend from one end of the cylinder wall to the other end of the cylinder wall in a longitudinal direction with respect to the roller that is parallel to the longitudinally extending central axis of the roller. 
     
     
         11 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 1 , wherein the cylinder wall has a longitudinally extending seam, where edges of a plate that has been curved to form the cylinder wall have been joined together. 
     
     
         12 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 11 , wherein the seam has been formed by friction stir welding. 
     
     
         13 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of through-holes are formed in the end plate at each end of the cylinder wall and the through-holes in each end plate are equiangularly positioned around the longitudinally extending central axis of the roller. 
     
     
         14 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 1 , wherein the cylinder wall is made from copper, copper alloy, aluminum, or aluminum alloy. 
     
     
         15 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 14 , wherein the cylinder wall is made from oxygen-free copper, tough pitch copper, or phosphorous deoxidized copper. 
     
     
         16 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 14 , wherein the cylinder wall is made from a copper-tin-based alloy, a coper-zinc-based alloy, a copper-nickel-based alloy, a copper-aluminum-based alloy, or a copper-beryllium-based alloy. 
     
     
         17 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 14 , wherein the cylinder wall is made from an aluminum-copper-magnesium-based alloy, an aluminum-manganese-based alloy, an aluminum-silicon-based alloy, an aluminum-magnesium-based alloy, an aluminum-magnesium-silicon-based alloy, or an aluminum-zinc-magnesium-based alloy. 
     
     
         18 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 1 , further comprising a coating layer disposed on an exterior-facing surface of the cylinder wall, the coating layer being formed from a material having a hardness higher than the material from which the cylinder wall is made. 
     
     
         19 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 18 , wherein the cylinder wall is made from copper, copper alloy, aluminum, or aluminum alloy and the coating layer is made from chromium. 
     
     
         20 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 18 , wherein the coating layer is not less than 20 μm thick and not greater than 40 μm thick. 
     
     
         21 . The heat-transfer roller of  claim 18 , where the coating layer has a Vickers hardness that is not less than 500. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A sputtering system, comprising:
 a vacuum chamber;   a heat-transfer roller according to  claim 1  disposed within the vacuum chamber and supported for rotation about the longitudinally extending central axis thereof;   one or more sputtering cathodes disposed within the vacuum chamber and arranged to direct sputtered atoms toward the heat-transfer roller during sputtering operation of the one or more sputtering cathodes; and   a film supply roller and a film take-up roller disposed within the vacuum chamber, with the film supply roller and the film take-up roller having respective longitudinal axes that are arranged parallel to the longitudinally extending central axis of the heat-transfer roller and with the film supply roller and the film take-up roller being supported for rotation about their respective longitudinal axes.   
     
     
         24 . The sputtering system according to  claim 23 , wherein the vacuum chamber has a perforated partition that divides the vacuum chamber into two sub-chambers, with the heat-transfer roller and the one or more sputtering cathodes being disposed within one of the two sub-chambers and with the film supply roller and the film take-up roller being disposed within the other of the two sub-chambers. 
     
     
         25 . A method of forming a heat-transfer roller, comprising;
 forming one or more flow-through passages extending internally within a square or rectangular metal plate;   curving the square or rectangular metal plate to form a cylinder wall with a hollow interior and a longitudinally extending central axis, and joining first and second, opposite edges of the square or rectangular metal plate together using friction stir welding;   attaching an end plate to each of two opposite ends of the cylinder wall;   attaching a shaft member to each of the two end plates in position to support the roller for rotation about the longitudinally extending central axis of the cylinder wall;   forming a longitudinally extending central passage within each of the two shaft members;   establishing fluid communication between the longitudinally extending central passage in each of the two shaft members and the one or more flow-through passages in the square or rectangular metal plate; and   forming through-holes in the end plates so that the hollow interior of the cylinder wall is in fluid communication with exterior regions surrounding the cylinder wall, whereby pressure can be equalized between the hollow interior of the cylinder wall and the exterior regions surrounding the cylinder wall.   
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein said forming one or more flow-through passages extending internally within the square or rectangular metal plate comprises
 forming in a surface of the square or rectangular metal plate a single continuous groove extending in a zig-zag or serpentine manner, with a series of first portions that extend in a first direction and that are arranged parallel to each other and a series of second portions that extend in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, with each of the second portions extending between a respective adjacent pair of the first portions and with successive ones of the second portions being located at alternating ends of the first portions;   forming a closure plate having a zig-zag or serpentine shape that matches the zig-zag or serpentine shape of the single continuous groove;   disposing the closure plate within the single continuous groove, positioned at a distance from a bottom surface of the single continuous groove and with an exterior-facing surface of the closure plate flush with the surface of the square or rectangular metal plate; and   joining the closure plate to the square or rectangular metal plate along joints therebetween by friction stir welding.   
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the single continuous groove is formed by forming an initial groove in the surface of the square or rectangular metal plate and then forming a subsequent groove that is wider than the initial groove and that extends into the surface of the square or rectangular metal plate to a depth that is shallower than the depth to which the initial groove extends into the surface of the square or rectangular metal plate, whereby a shoulder surface to support the closure plate is formed. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the square or rectangular metal plate is curved about a linear center of curvature that extends in a direction that is perpendicular to the first portions of the single continuous groove such that the first portions of the single continuous groove extend circumferentially about the cylinder wall and the second portions of the single continuous groove extend in direction that is parallel to the longitudinally extending central axis of the cylinder wall once the first and second edges of the square or rectangular metal plate are joined together. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the square or rectangular metal plate is curved about a linear center of curvature that extends in a direction that is parallel to the first portions of the single continuous groove such that the first portions of the single continuous groove extend in direction that is parallel to the longitudinally extending central axis of the cylinder wall and the second portions of the single continuous groove extend circumferentially along the cylinder wall once the first and second edges of the square or rectangular metal plate are joined together. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein said forming one or more flow-through passages extending internally within the square or rectangular metal plate comprises forming holes extending internally through the square or rectangular metal plate from a third edge thereof to an opposite, fourth edge thereof, with the holes extending parallel to the first and second edges of the square or rectangular metal plate. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the holes extending internally through the square or rectangular metal plate are formed after the first and second edges of the square or rectangular metal plate have been joined together.