Patent ID: 8672603

Claim:
An inline processing system, comprising: a vacuum processing chamber; a loadlock chamber coupled to one side of the vacuum processing chamber; a load chamber coupled to the loadlock opposite the vacuum processing chamber; a first hanger comprising drive rails and a plate structured to support at least one substrate and configured to deliver fresh substrates to the vacuum processing chamber; a second hanger comprising drive rails and a plate structured to support at least one substrate and configured to remove processed substrates from the vacuum processing chamber; wherein the first hanger and the second hanger are located on separate horizontal planes, one of the first hanger and second hanger being an upper hanger and the other one of the first hanger and second hanger being a lower hanger; and, a transport mechanism comprising idler roller and drive rollers and structured to move the drive rails of the upper and lower hangers on the idler roller and drive rollers between the load chamber, the loadlock chamber and the processing chamber; and, a controller configured to move both the first hanger and second hanger together through the loadlock and into the processing chamber and cause the first hanger to deliver fresh substrates into the processing chamber and the second hanger to remove processed substrates from the processing chamber; and, wherein the loadlock chamber is configured to vent to atmospheric pressure when exchanging substrates with the load chamber and to pumps to vacuum pressure when exchanging substrates with the vacuum processing chamber.