Patent ID: 6090248
Filing Date: 2000-07-18
Classification: C23C

Abstract:
An apparatus for the deposition of material onto a plurality of substrates to form a coating thereon, said apparatus comprising:a vacuum chamber, said vacuum chamber including a vacuum creating means, at least one material deposition means in the form of a magnetron having a target of a particular material to be sputtered onto the substrates, a reaction producing means for creating a reaction of the sputtered material, and a means for introducing gas or gases into the chamber;a loading chamber linked to a vacuum creating means and provided with a port into the vacuum chamber which can be opened and closed and a port to the environment surrounding said apparatus which can be opened and closed; anda carrier, said carrier provided to carry the substrates thereon and driven to rotate in the vacuum chamber; anda plurality of protrusions in the form of vanes positioned on the substrate carrier so that during rotation of the carrier, the sputter deposition means and the reaction producing means are physically separated;wherein the vacuum chamber is continuously held in a vacuum and, during loading of a batch of substrates to be coated, the carrier with substrates is held in the loading chamber at atmospheric pressure, a vacuum is created in the loading chamber, operation of one of the sputter devices and the reaction producing means is commenced, the port into the vacuum chamber is opened to allow the transfer of the carrier into the vacuum chamber, and during unloading, the carrier is removed from the vacuum chamber into the loading chamber in vacuum and unloaded in atmospheric pressure, whereupon the next batch is loaded and the apparatus operated for successive batches without time delay for cleaning or preconditioning of the sputter devices or reaction producing means intermediate each of the batches.