Disk coating system
First Claim
1. A substrate processing system for the processing of substrates into magnetic disks comprising:
- an entryway to feed substrates in cassettes into the processing system and into a vacuum environment;
a lifter to raise substrates one by one from said cassettes;
processing stations aligned adjacent with one another to process substrates individually while substrates are maintained in a vertical orientation;
disk carriers to carry substrates into processing stations and to hold substrates in a vertical position as individual substrates are processed and move through said processing stations and from station to station;
a transfer device to transfer substrates in position on said lifter into disk carriers;
transport paths and drives to move disk carriers from processing station to processing station and to an unload zone, said unload zone having a lifter to remove processed disks from said disk carrier after disk processing and to remove the processed disks back to a cassette to be transported out of said system;
said processing stations being positioned in a stacked relationship with at least a second layer of processing stations positioned above a first layer of processing stations so that the footprint for two process stations is substantially not greater than the footprint for one process station and less than the footprint of two process stations positioned one following the other lengthwise.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is described a disk processing and manufacturing equipment in which the processing chambers are stacked on top of each other and in which the disks move through the system on disk carriers which are adjustable to take disks of varying sizes. The disks enter the system through a load zone and are then installed into disk carriers. They move in the carriers sequentially through processing chambers at one level and then move to the other level in a lift or elevator. At this other level, the disks again move sequentially through the system on that level and then exit at an unload zone.
69 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A substrate processing system for the processing of substrates into magnetic disks comprising:
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an entryway to feed substrates in cassettes into the processing system and into a vacuum environment;
a lifter to raise substrates one by one from said cassettes;
processing stations aligned adjacent with one another to process substrates individually while substrates are maintained in a vertical orientation;
disk carriers to carry substrates into processing stations and to hold substrates in a vertical position as individual substrates are processed and move through said processing stations and from station to station;
a transfer device to transfer substrates in position on said lifter into disk carriers;
transport paths and drives to move disk carriers from processing station to processing station and to an unload zone, said unload zone having a lifter to remove processed disks from said disk carrier after disk processing and to remove the processed disks back to a cassette to be transported out of said system;
said processing stations being positioned in a stacked relationship with at least a second layer of processing stations positioned above a first layer of processing stations so that the footprint for two process stations is substantially not greater than the footprint for one process station and less than the footprint of two process stations positioned one following the other lengthwise. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 19)
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9. A combination processing system to manufacture magnetic hard disks comprising:
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a stacked set of processing stations to process substrates in a vertical position with coating materials used in manufacturing magnetic hard disks, said processing stations being positioned in a reasonably straight line with one layer of processing stations positioned on top of the other layer of processing stations so that a second station is generally directly above a first station;
a circular set of processing stations to process substrates with coating materials used in manufacturing magnetic hard disks; and
,feeding equipment to transfer substrates processed in said straight line stacked set of processing stations to and through said circular set of processing stations. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A substrate treatment system to manufacture magnetic hard disks comprising,
a load station to feed cassettes of substrates for processing from atmospheric conditions into a vacuum environment through vacuum load locks in cassettes, an unload station to feed coated magnetic disks after processing into cassettes and out of a vacuum environment through vacuum load locks to atmospheric conditions; -
a lifter blade to lift substrates individually from cassette at said load station and to transfer substrates to a first station where substrates are placed into a disk carrier;
disk carriers to hold substrates in a vertical position and carry substrates to and through process stations;
process stations to process said substrates in said disk carriers;
a transport system to move disks in disk carriers from station to station at programmed intervals;
said processing stations positioned in two levels, one above the other, at least one disk carrier lift to raise and lower disk carriers from one level to a second level; and
said transport system configured to transport disk carriers laterally and vertically from processing station to processing station and to return said disk carriers to said unload station whereat the disk is moved from the disk carrier to a lifter blade to place the disk in an unload cassette for transfer out of the vacuum environment to atmospheric conditions through an unload aperture by transferring said cassette through vacuum load locks. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A substrate treatment system to manufacture magnetic hard disks comprising
a slot to feed cassettes of substrates from atmospheric conditions into a load station and cassettes of coated magnetic disks from an unload position out of the system and into atmospheric conditions; -
a lifter blade to lift substrates out of a cassette in said load station and transfer substrates to a station where substrates are placed into disk carriers;
disk carriers to hold substrates in a vertical position and carry substrates to and from processing stations;
processing stations to process substrates on said disk holders;
a transport system to move disk carriers from station to station in sequence at programmed intervals;
a disk carrier lift to raise disk carriers from a first level of processing stations to a second level of processing stations;
said processing stations being positioned in two levels, one above the other, and said transport system transferring said disk carriers laterally from processing station to processing station and vertically in said disk carrier lift from one level to the other. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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20. A disk carrier to grasp disks and carry them through vacuum processing stations in which an adjustable extension is fitted internally to the jaws of said carrier to permit usage of said carrier with disks of different sizes.
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21. A processing chamber for a disk manufacturing system fitted to be positioned on top of another disk processing chamber comprising a turbo molecular pump extending above the chamber to pump a vacuum in said chamber, an opening at one side of said chamber to be positioned attached to an adjacent chamber, an isolation valve on the other side of the chamber to isolate the chamber from other chambers during processing within said chamber, magnetic means at the base of said chamber to assist in the transport of a disk carrier into and out of said chamber, process sources positioned on the front and back walls of said chamber to enable processing of both sides of a disk positioned within said chamber, and a similar chamber positioned beneath said chamber with the vacuum pump extending downwardly from said lower chamber to enable actively processing another disk in a disk carrier in said lower chamber during processing or transport of a disk carrier in said upper disk processing chamber.
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22. A method of manufacturing a magnetic hard disk comprising
placing a substrate to be processed into a vacuum chamber, lifting said substrate to a load chamber and loading said substrate into a disk carrier at said load chamber, moving said substrate and disk carrier to at least a first processing chamber at a first level and processing said substrate in said processing chamber, moving said substrate and disk carrier into a lift, changing the elevation of said substrate and said disk carrier to a different level, moving said substrate and said disk into at least a processing chamber at said new level, moving said substrate and disk carrier into a station and separating said disk from said disk carrier, lowering said disk and removing said disk from the vacuum environment
Specification