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.

1. A vacuum process apparatus for processing at least one workpiece, comprising a chamber with:
 at least two openings defining respective opening areas for one of treating and handling said at least one workpiece thereat;    a transport device, comprising    a drive shaft rotatable around a rotational axis of said drive shaft;    at least two conveyors arranged at said transport device for at least one workpiece each, said transport device comprising a transport arm for each conveyor projecting from said drive shaft;    said arms being operatively coupled to said conveyors to move said conveyors relative to said shaft.    
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , said openings defining an opening area each, with normals on said opening areas being warped with respect to said rotational axis. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said conveyors are movable at least one of parallel to said drive shaft and of normally with respect to said drive shaft. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said conveyors, once positioned adjacent one of said openings by rotation of said transport device, are movable towards and from said opening in a normal direction of said opening areas. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein rotation of said transport device around said rotational axis substantially define a cone shaped trajectory surface with a cone opening angle with respect to said rotational axis of not more than 90°. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein each of said openings defines an opening area, with normals on said opening areas pointing in a direction of respective generatrix of said cone-shaped trajectory surface. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said openings are arranged along a circle cut by said cone-shaped trajectory surface by a geometric plane arranged perpendicularly to said rotational axis. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1 , said transport device residing within said chamber further comprising at least one of a load lock chamber and of a station for treating said workpiece communicating by one of said openings with said chamber. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising gas inlet means and pumping means at least at one of said station and chambers. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said conveyors comprise a seal member for sealingly closing one of said openings when said at least one conveyor is rotated adjacent to said opening by said transport device. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said seal member is formed by a conveyor plate for said workpiece. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each said conveyor comprises a conveyor plate with a projecting positioning pin for positioning a disk shaped workpiece with a central bore. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising holding means for said workpiece on said conveyor plate. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 13 , said holding means being formed by spring means acting radially with respect to said pin. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 1 , said workpiece being one of compact disk workpieces and of magneto-optical storage disk workpieces. 
     
     
       16. A vacuum chamber for processing at least one workpiece, comprising at least two openings defining respective opening areas for treating or handling said at least one workpiece thereat; a transport device with a drive shaft for rotating said transport device around a rotational axis of said drive shaft; at least two conveyors arranged at said transport device for the workpiece thereat, said transport device further comprising a transport arm for each conveyor projecting from said drive shaft; said arms being operatively coupled to said conveyors to move said conveyors relative to said shaft. 
     
     
       17. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein each of said openings defines an opening area with, normals on said opening areas being warped with respect to said rotational axis. 
     
     
       18. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein said conveyors are movable at least one of parallel to said rotational axis and of normally with respect to said rotational axis. 
     
     
       19. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein said conveyors, once positioned adjacent one of said openings by rotation of said transport device, are movable towards and from said opening in a normal direction of said opening areas. 
     
     
       20. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein rotation of said transport device around said rotational axis substantially defines a cone-shaped trajectory surface, with a cone opening angle with respect to said rotational axis of not more than 90°. 
     
     
       21. The chamber of  claim 20 , wherein each of said openings define an opening area with, normals on said opening areas pointing in a direction of respective generatrix of said cone-shaped trajectory surface. 
     
     
       22. The chamber of  claim 21 , wherein said openings are arranged along a circle intersected by said cone-shaped trajectory surface by a geometric plane arranged perpendicular to said rotational axis. 
     
     
       23. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of said conveyors comprise a seal member for sealingly closing one of said openings when said at least one conveyor is rotated adjacent to said opening by said transport device. 
     
     
       24. The chamber of  claim 23 , wherein said seal member is formed by a conveyor plate for said at least one workpiece. 
     
     
       25. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein said conveyors comprises a conveyor plate with a projecting positioning pin for positioning a disk shaped workpiece with a central bore. 
     
     
       26. The chamber of  claim 25 , further comprising holding means for said at least one workpiece on said conveyor plate. 
     
     
       27. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein said holding means is formed by spring means acting radially with respect to said pin. 
     
     
       28. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein said conveyors are configured to hold workpieces in the form of one of compact disk workpieces and of magneto-optical storage disk workpieces. 
     
     
       29. The chamber of  claim 16 , wherein said conveyors comprise a support plate with an upstanding pin; spring loaded holding portions around said pin being biased radially outwardly with respect to said pin, and further comprising holding portions projecting outwardly with respect to said pin and being biased slightly outside the surface of said pin. 
     
     
       30. A vacuum process apparatus for processing at least one workpiece, comprising a chamber with
   two openings defining respective opening areas; and        a transport device with said chamber having a drive shaft rotatable around a rotational axis of said drive shaft; and        two conveyors each defining a support plane for at least one workpiece, and a transport arm for each conveyor mounted opposite each other and projecting from said drive shaft;        wherein said arms are operatively coupled to said conveyors to move said conveyors independently of each other with a radial component relative to said drive shaft, and        said support plane is perpendicular to said radial component, said conveyors comprising a seal member for sealingly closing one of said openings when said conveyors are moved to a position adjacent said openings by said transport device and are moved toward said one of said openings.     
     
     
       31. The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein said openings defining an opening area each, with normals on said opening areas rectangularly intersecting said rotational axis. 
     
     
       32. The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein said conveyors are movable normally with respect to said drive shaft. 
     
     
       33. The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein said conveyors, once positioned adjacent one of said openings by rotation of said transport device, are movable towards and from said opening in a normal direction of said opening areas. 
     
     
       34. The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein rotation of said transport device around said rotational axis substantially define a cone- shaped trajectory surface with a cone opening angle with respect to said rotational axis of  90 °.   
     
     
       35. The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein each of said openings defines an opening area, with normals on said opening areas pointing in a direction of respective generatrix of said cone- shaped trajectory surface.   
     
     
       36. The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein said openings are arranged along a circle cut by said cone- shaped trajectory surface by a geometric plane arranged perpendicularly to said rotational axis.   
     
     
       37. The apparatus of  claim 30 , said transport device residing within said chamber further comprising a load lock chamber and a treating station communicating by one of said openings with said chamber. 
     
     
       38. The apparatus of  claim 37 , further comprising gas inlet means and pumping means at least at one of said station and chamber. 
     
     
       39. The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein said seal member is formed by a conveyor plate for said workpiece. 
     
     
       40. The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein each said conveyor comprises a conveyor plate with a projecting positioning pin for positioning a disk shaped workpiece with a central bore. 
     
     
       41. The apparatus of  claim 40 , further comprising holding means for said workpiece on said conveyor plate. 
     
     
       42. The apparatus of  claim 41 , said holding means being formed by spring means acting radially with respect to said pin. 
     
     
       43. The apparatus of  claim 30 , said workpiece being one of compact disk workpieces and of magneto- optical storage disk workpieces.   
     
     
       44. The apparatus of  claim 31 , said two conveyors being linearly movable towards and from said axis by respective drives provided at said respective arms. 
     
     
       45. The apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein said drives are encapsulated by bellows. 
     
     
       46. A vacuum chamber for processing at least one workpiece, comprising two openings defining respective opening areas; a transport device with a drive shaft for rotating said transport device around a rotational axis of said drive shaft; two conveyors defining a support plane and a transport arm for each conveyor mounted opposite each other and each being operatively coupled to one of said conveyors to move said conveyors independently of each other with a radial component relative to said drive shaft, and
   said support plane is perpendicular to said radial component, said conveyors comprising a seal member for sealingly closing one of said openings when said conveyors are moved to a position adjacent said openings by said transport device and are moved toward said one of said openings.     
     
     
       47. The chamber of  claim 46 , wherein each of said openings defines an opening area, with normals on said opening areas rectangularly intersecting said rotational axis. 
     
     
       48. The chamber of  claim 46 , wherein said conveyors are movable normally with respect to said rotational axis. 
     
     
       49. A method for manufacturing at least two workpieces, comprising
   providing a vacuum chamber with at least two openings defining respective opening areas,        providing a transport device having a drive shaft rotatable around a rotational axis of said drive shaft,        providing at least two conveyors for at least one disk - shaped workpiece each and each defining a support plane for said at least one disk - shaped workpiece, and providing a transport arm for each conveyor mounted to and projecting from said drive shaft,        said transport arms being operatively coupled to said conveyors to move said conveyors independently of each other relative to said drive shaft and in a direction at least with a radial component with respect to said drive shaft and with said support planes being perpendicular to said direction,        applying a disk - shaped workpiece upon said support plane of each of said conveyors,        providing at at least one of said at least two openings a vacuum treating station,        rotating said transport device and therewith said workpieces so as to align at least one of said two workpieces with one of said openings,        moving said conveyor with said one workpiece by said respective arm towards said opening and treating said one workpiece on said support plane of said one conveyor at said one opening by said vacuum treatment chamber,        retracting said treated workpiece from said one opening; and        rotating said transport device to align said treated workpiece with a further of said at least two openings and removing said treated workpiece from said vacuum treatment chamber through said further opening.     
     
     
       50. The method of  claim 49 , wherein said chamber has two of said openings and two of said conveyors whose transport arms are mounted opposite each other, whereby said transport device and therewith said workpieces are rotated by  180 ° to align each of said workpieces with a respective one of said openings.