Web cooling device for a vacuum processing system

Abstract

Described are a device and a method for cooling a web in a vacuum processing system. The device includes a heat transfer module, a coolant path and a gas injector. The heat transfer module has a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a pair of cooling surfaces extending between the first and second ends. The first end receives a transported web in a vacuum environment and the second provides the transported web after passage through a web transport path between the cooling surfaces. The coolant path is in thermal communication with the heat transfer module to maintain the cooling surfaces at a temperature less than the temperature of the transported web. The gas injector supplies gas to the web transport path between the cooling surfaces so that heat is efficiently conducted from the transported web to the cooling surfaces.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A web cooling device, comprising:
 a heat transfer module having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a pair of cooling surfaces extending between the first and second ends, the first end having an entrance aperture to receive a transported web in a vacuum environment and the second end having an exit aperture to provide the transported web after passage through a web transport path between the cooling surfaces;   a coolant path in thermal communication with the heat transfer module to remove heat therefrom; and   a gas injector configured to inject a gas into the web transport path between the cooling surfaces to thereby conduct heat from the transported web to the cooling surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  wherein the heat transfer module comprises a pair of parallel plates each having one of the cooling surfaces. 
     
     
         3 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  wherein the heat transfer module has at least one plenum in communication with the region between the cooling surfaces and proximate to at least one of the entrance aperture and the exit aperture, the at least one plenum configured for coupling to a vacuum pump to thereby establish a flow of the gas from the gas injector to the plenum along at least a portion of the web transport path. 
     
     
         4 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  further comprising a first plurality of rollers each disposed in a channel in one of the cooling surfaces along a side of the web transport path and a second plurality of rollers each disposed in a channel in the other of the cooling surfaces along an opposite side of the web transport path, each of the rollers extending radially into the web transport path, each roller in the first plurality of rollers being opposite a respective one of the rollers in the second plurality of rollers, wherein the transported web is guided between the two rollers in each of the pairs of rollers and wherein each of the pairs of rollers limits a gas conductance through the web transport path. 
     
     
         5 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of gas conductance limiters disposed along the web transport path. 
     
     
         6 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of rollers each disposed in a channel in one of the cooling surfaces along a side of the web transport path, each of the rollers extending radially into the web transport path, wherein only one side of the transported web is in contact with the rollers and wherein the rollers limit a gas conductance through the web transport path. 
     
     
         7 . The web cooling device of  claim 6  wherein a direction of transport for the transported web changes at a first one of the rollers and a last one of the rollers. 
     
     
         8 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  wherein a separation between the cooling surfaces does not exceed 0.080 inches. 
     
     
         9 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  further comprising a source of gas in communication with the gas injector. 
     
     
         10 . The web cooling device of  claim 9  wherein the gas comprises a gas selected from a group of gases consisting of hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, oxygen and argon. 
     
     
         11 . The web cooling device of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of rods each disposed in a channel in one of the cooling surfaces along a side of the web transport path, each of the rods extending radially into the web transport path, wherein the transported web is guided between the rods and the other of the cooling surfaces and wherein the rods limit a gas conductance through the web transport path. 
     
     
         12 . A method for cooling a web in a vacuum processing environment, the method comprising:
 maintaining a pair of cooling surfaces at a temperature less that a temperature of a web in a vacuum processing environment;   transporting the web along a path between the cooling surfaces; and   flowing a gas along at least a portion of the path between the cooling surfaces,   wherein heat is conducted from the web through the gas to the cooling surfaces to thereby reduce the temperature of the web.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the cooling surfaces are parallel to each other. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  wherein maintaining the pair of cooling surfaces at a temperature less that a temperature of the transported web comprises flowing a coolant through a coolant path that is in thermal communication with the cooling surfaces. 
     
     
         15 . A web heat transfer device, comprising:
 a heat transfer module having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a pair of heat transfer surfaces extending between the first and second ends, the first end having an entrance aperture to receive a transported web in a vacuum environment and the second end having an exit aperture to provide the transported web after passage through a web transport path between the heat transfer surfaces;   a heat transfer fluid path in thermal communication with the heat transfer module to maintain the heat transfer surfaces at a temperature that is different from a temperature of the transported web; and   a gas injector configured to inject a gas into the web transport path between the heat transfer surfaces to thereby conduct heat between the heat transfer surfaces and the transported web.