Patent ID: 8540850

Claim:
A material source comprising a removable target arrangement, the target arrangement comprising a plate, separable first and second clamping means, and at least one clamp biasing member for biasing the first and second clamping means towards each other to clamp part of the plate therebetween, wherein said target arrangement can be mounted and dismounted as a unitary part onto and off of said material source, the target arrangement of the material source being provided to free material to a vacuum coating process, wherein the plate of said target arrangement is provided along a plane, at least a predominant part of an outer border of said plate being wedge-shaped by a first substantially planar wedge surface angled to said plane and a second substantially planar wedge surface angled to said plane, said first and second wedge surfaces mutually converging in a direction along said plane and from a central area of said plate perpendicularly towards said outer border of said plate, the first and second clamping means are respectively provided with a first and a second substantially planar wedge counter surface, and said first and second clamping means being biased towards each other with said first and second wedge counter surfaces biased towards and on said first and second wedge surfaces, the clamp biasing member exerting a force which is generally perpendicular to the plane and which creates a pressure between said wedge surfaces and counter surfaces to thereby clamp the plate, and wherein the target arrangement, including the first and second clamping means, the plate clamped by the clamping means, and the at least one clamp biasing member, is releasably mounted to a frame of said material source by at least one frame mounting element, wherein the frame mounting element and the clamp biasing member are distinct and independently releasable elements, and wherein the frame mounting element is releasably connected to the frame of the material source and the clamp biasing member is not directly connected to the frame of the material source.