Patent ID: 6332280
Filing Date: 2001-12-25
Classification: B01J,B41J,C23C,H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
A conveyor system for use in vacuum processing apparatus comprising;a cassette mount unit, provided with a cassette, for receiving plural substrates to be processed;a conveyor loader having a first conveyor unit for conveying substrates to be processed;a load lock chamber for receiving said substrates to be processed from said first conveyor unit;an unload lock chamber for delivering said substrates, which have been processed, to said first conveyor unit, said unload lock chamber being a separate chamber from said load lock chamber; anda vacuum conveyor load unit, having a conveyor chamber, and comprising a second conveyor unit, which conveys said substrates to be processed between said load lock chamber or said unload lock chamber and at least one of a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, wherein:said conveyor loader is disposed in front of the load lock chamber and the unload lock chamber, between the cassette mount unit and the two lock chambers, andthe substrates are loaded and unloaded between said cassette and the plurality of vacuum processing chambers, and said plural vacuum processing chambers treat said substrates with surfaces thereof which are treated being kept horizontal.