Vacuum process apparatus

Abstract

The invention proceeds from a vacuum process apparatus for an article which is processed or treated, resp. at two stations, whereby each station has a charging and / or removing opening for the article. A transporting device is supported for rotation and includes a supporting portion which is successively moved onto the openings of the stations. The process plant is designed in such a manner that the surface normals determined by the surfaces of the openings and the space axis defined by the axis of rotation of the transport device do not run parallel and rather enclose together an angle of 90° or 45°. By such an arrangement it is possible to design extremely compact vacuum vapor deposition apparatuses having a plurality of individual stations, whereby additionally short transporting distances are obtainable and the volumes to be conditioned can be minimized.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08 / 962,776, filed Nov. 3, 1997, which is a continuation of Reissue application Ser. No. 08 / 530,778, filed Sep. 19, 1995 abandoned, which is a reissue of application Ser. No. 888,111, filed May 26, 1992 (patented Sep. 21, 1993 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,736).BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a vacuum process apparatus of the kind, including at least two stations for treating or handling the workpiece, and a transport device with conveyor means thereon, each for transporting at least one workpiece from station to station.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art[0005]The German specification DE-A-24 54 544 and “Patent Abstracts of Japan”, Nov. 28, 1989, vol. 13, no. 532, JP-A2 1-218 627, disclose as an example such a vacuum process apparatus which includes at least two stations, each comprising an opening for an article, the openings each determining an opening area ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]It is a further object to provide a vacuum process apparatus which gives a high degree of constructional freedom with respect to the arrangement of the said stations as concerns their orientation in space and especially the spatial arrangement of their respective openings. Thereby it shall be made possible to vastly increase the compactness of such process apparatuses, thereby optimizing assembly, disassembly, operation cycle time etc.

[0019]It has been recognized basically that, when providing a transporting device which is rotatable around the said axis and wherearound the openings of the said stations are arranged so that the normals on the areas defined by the respective borders of said openings are warped with respect to the said rotational axis, a highest grade of constructional flexibility is gained in order to design apparatuses more compact and / or to produce smallest possible spaces to be evacuated and / or to minimize cycle time of processing due to minimizing the conveyant distance between respective openings of the stations.

[0020]It is yet a further object to provide the said apparatus wherein said conveyor means are movable at least one of parallel to said axis and of radially to said axis. Thereby, departing from the rotational axis of the transport device, by appropriate selection of the movability of the said conveyor means, parallel and / or radial with respect to said axis, it becomes possible to reach openings of the said stations arranged with respect to the rotational axis in a great variability of different positions.

[0021]A further object of the present invention is to provide said apparatus wherein said conveyor means, once positioned adjacent one of said openings by rotating said transport device, are movable towards and from said opening in a direction given by the normal on the opening area defined by the said opening. Thereby an even simplified apparatus is realized in that it becomes possible to convey a workpiece disposed on the conveyor means considered straight ahead towards or into or through the opening of a station considered.

[0028]It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a vacuum process apparatus in which the stations communicate by the said openings with the inside of a chamber, said transport device residing within the said chamber. On one hand, by such a design the transport device is protected and further the danger of contamination of the atmosphere prevailing within the stations is decreased because, as mentioned, the openings of the stations communicate with the chamber.

Problems solved by technology

By providing such a vacuum process apparatus the disadvantages of the prior art apparatus as concerns lack of flexibility with respect to arranging more or less of the said stations at the apparatus are remedied and further the self-contained transport device with conveyor means and said driving means enables to drive said conveyor means without necessity of frictional seals at the process apparatus vacuum chamber wall, through which, according to prior art, such driving means did act on the conveyor means of the known transport device.

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