| 摘要 |
<PICT:1014245/C6-C7/1> Apparatus for the continuous manufacture of thin foil by vapour deposition includes a housing defining a main vacuum chamber, evacuating means therefor and a crucible within the chamber for receiving material to be vaporized by electron beam heating means (see Division H1), a rotatable drum mounted in the housing so that its periphery forms a portion of the wall of the chamber and a plurality of vacuum sealing chambers disposed about the periphery of the drum immediately outside the main vacuum chamber. As shown in Fig. 1, the main chamber 11 is provided with vaporizable material through vacuum lock 28 to a crucible 27 where it is melted and volatile impurities are removed. It then flows by launder 26 to crucible 17. Drum 41 rotates between walls 51-54 which form sealing chambers 56-58 which are separately evacuated by pumps 61-63. The main chamber is evacuated by pumps 13 and backing pump 14. Heat for melting the material to be vapour deposited. for vaporizing the material and for heating the drum surface in advance of the point of condensation, is provided by electron beams from sources 31, 19 and 77 respectively. The interior of the drum is provided with cooling tube 44. The deposited film e.g. of copper is stripped from the drum periphery, which may be of stainless steel, by a stripping knife 72, and is wound on take-up reel 74. In a modification, Fig. 4 (not shown), the film is formed on the surface of a web or sheet passing through the main chamber round the surface of a drum and being fed from a take-off reel to a take-up reel. The drum is situated wholly within the chamber and the web or sheet enters and leaves the chamber in contact with a second drum about whose periphery the vacuum sealing chambers are disposed. In a further modification, Fig. 5 (not shown), separate entry and exit drums are provided for the web or sheet, each drum having its associated plurality of vacuum sealing chambers, and an endless stencil sheet passes through the main chamber in contact with the web or sheet to be coated so as to produce a coating in a desired pattern. The production of films or coatings of titanium and tantalum is also referred to. |
