Patent ID: 7244086
Filing Date: 2007-07-17
Classification: C23C,F27B,F27D,H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for manufacturing two-dimensionally extended vacuum treated substrates comprising the steps of: introducing a first horizontal substrate horizontally into a first loadlock chamber that is provided in a first loadlock and processing tower; introducing a second horizontal substrate horizontally into a second loadlock chamber that is provided in a second loadlock and processing tower; transporting each said first and second horizontal substrate horizontally from said first and second loadlock chambers, respectively, into a common vacuum transport chamber; controllably moving each said first and second horizontal substrate, respectively, vertically until each is aligned with a respective first processing chamber and second processing chamber provided, respectively, in said first loadlock and processing tower and said second loadlock and processing tower; horizontally introducing said first and second horizontal substrates into said first and second processing chambers, respectively; treating said first and second horizontal substrates in said first processing chamber and said second processing chamber, respectively; horizontally removing each of the first and second treated horizontal substrates, respectively, from the respective first and second processing chamber, back into said common vacuum transport chamber; vertically transporting each said first and second treated horizontal substrate within said common vacuum transport chamber until said first treated substrate is aligned with said first or a further loadlock chamber located in said first tower, and said second treated substrate is aligned with said second or a further loadlock chamber located in said second tower; horizontally transporting said first and second treated horizontal substrates from said common vacuum transport chamber into the respectively aligned loadlock chambers located in said first and second towers, respectively; removing each said first and second treated horizontal substrate horizontally from the respective loadlock chamber into the ambient environment; wherein analogous operations with respect to each of the first and second horizontal substrates are not necessarily carried out at the same time.