Patent ID: 8246284
Filing Date: 2012-08-21
Classification: C23C,H01L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for holding and conveying substrates used in solar cell manufacturing processes comprising: a plurality of load-lock chambers vertically stacked such that adjacent chambers are positioned above each other, each load-lock chamber having an interior region sized to hold multiple substrates and a pump valve attached to a pump line to reduce gas pressure in the interior region below atmospheric pressure and a vent valve attached to a vent line to increase gas pressure in the interior region to atmospheric pressure; and first and second gate valves allowing access to the interior region of each load-lock chamber when open and providing an airtight seal on each load-lock chamber when closed, the first gate valve positioned at a front end of each load-lock chamber and the second gate valve positioned at a back end of each load-lock chamber, wherein at least two load-lock chambers are entrance load-lock chambers to hold unprocessed substrates before they enter one or more processing chambers and to hold processed substrates after they exit from one or more processing chambers.