Patent DE-102011114852-A1 (DE)
Title: Transferring device for separate transferring of a substrate to be treated in a vacuum plant of a continuous coating system, comprises a transferring container having a transferring direction, and a further transferring container
Inventor: HENTSCHEL MICHAEL
IPC: C23C14/56
Filed: 2011-10-05
Abstract: The transferring device comprises a transferring container (3) having a transferring direction (14) provided for directing a substrate transport, and a further transferring container. The substrate transported in a transport direction having a transport unit is subjected to a treatment- and/or coating-process under vacuum, where an inlet valve (5.1) and outlet valve (5.2) are successively arranged on the transferring direction and are provided to a passage of the substrates and to a gastight closure of the container. The transferring device comprises a transferring container (3) having a transferring direction (14) provided for directing a substrate transport, and a further transferring container. The substrate transported in a transport direction having a transport unit is subjected to a treatment- and/or coating-process under vacuum, where an inlet valve (5.1) and outlet valve (5.2) are successively arranged on the transferring direction and are provided to a passage of the substrates and to a gastight closure of the container. The container for discontinuous transport designated as a guide through of the substrate is provided by the container for overcoming a pressure difference between a normal pressure and a vacuum. The container comprises: a unit for function transport, evacuate and aerate and/or opening and closing the inlet- or outlet-valve; and a measuring instrument that is provided for the guide through in which a temporal course of the unit for the functions are operable and whose duration corresponds to the duration of the guide through of a single substrate. The transferring direction of the respective container and the entire container are angularly aligned and transverse to the transport direction. The containers are provided in the respective transferring direction of the respective outlet valve following the substrates to the transport unit of the vacuum plant. The measuring instrument is temporally provided to each other at the containers so that the duration of the transferring substrates to be treated is reduced into the vacuum plant to a factor of reciprocal number of the containers. The vacuum system is performed for large-area substrates such as glass sheets so that a substrate width is orthogonal to the transport direction of more than one meter. The measuring instrument is provided at the two containers. The measuring instrument has four sub steps such as retracting-, evacuating-, extending-, and aerating-step, where: the inlet valve for retracting is opened; the outlet valve is closed and/or the containers are aerated after which the function of transporting the substrate is operated in the container; the inlet and outlet valves for evacuating are closed; and the container is evacuated after which the function of evacuating the container is operated; the inlet valve for extending is closed; the outlet valve is opened and/or the container is evacuated after which the function of transporting the substrate is operated form the container; and the inlet and outlet valves for aerating are closed; and/or the container is ventilated after which the function of aerating the container is operated. The function of evacuating in a first container and the function of aerating in a second container are simultaneously used. The container is: connected with a pre-evacuated container via a gas conduit and a gas valve, where the vacuum in a pressure level is partially transferable from the second ventilated to the first evacuated container; mutually arranged along the transport direction of the substrate delivering to the transport unit; and is designed such that a stepwise construction of the vacuum is designed over a pre-vacuum to a high vacuum back into the transferring direction.