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Vacuum apparatus for the surface treatment of workpieces

  • US 5,655,277 A
  • Filed: 08/08/1996
  • Issued: 08/12/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. Vacuum process system for surface treatment of workpieces (21) comprising:

  • a vacuum chamber (6b) that envelopes a substrate holder (8) that rotates around a central axis (14) with at least one process station (1-5) arranged around the periphery of said substrate holder,a substrate transfer chamber (6a) that communicates with the vacuum chamber via a transfer opening (15) and which features a first substrate handling and transporting mechanism (9,

         17) arranged radially to the central axis (14),at least one loading chamber (7a, 7b) with a loading chamber door (12a, 12b) on the side under atmospheric pressure and a loading chamber valve (11a, 11b) on the side under vacuum for loading or unloading the workpieces (21) for which purpose the loading chamber (7a, 7b) features a second substrate handling and transporting mechanism (10, 18, 19b,

         20),characterized by said transfer chamber (6a) being arranged tangentially on the external periphery of the vacuum chamber (6b), being in communication with the latter via a transfer opening (15) so that with the first transporting mechanism (9,

         17) workpieces (21) can be fed through the transfer opening (15) for loading the rotatable substrate holder (8) and being further characterized by the loading chamber (7a, 7b) being in communication tangentially to the vacuum chamber (6b) with the transfer chamber (6a) and the transfer chamber (6a) featuring a third transporting mechanism (10, 18, 19a,

         20) at a right angle to the first transporting mechanism (9,

         17), where the second and third transporting mechanism is arranged in the same tangential direction.

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