Patent ID: 7785456

Claim:
A planetary substrate support for mounting in a process chamber of a coating system, which is for coating substrates mounted on substrate holders, comprising: a process chamber; a main support, located within the process chamber, rotatable about a first axis; a plurality of spindles extending from the main support, located within the process chamber, rotatable about respective spindle axes which are different axes than the first axis; a magnetic latch on an end of each spindle, each magnetic latch located within the process chamber and including a permanent magnet and a mounting surface; a plurality of substrate holders selectively connectable and disconnectable to the mounting surfaces of the magnetic latches; wherein each magnetic latch is configured to selectively magnetically connect and disconnect one of the substrate holders to its mounting surface, and wherein each magnetic latch is configured to be operable such that each magnetic latch magnetizes and demagnetizes its respective mounting surface; and wherein each magnetic latch includes a first section, and a second section movable relative to the first section between a first position in which the permanent magnet forms a magnetic circuit with poles on the first and second sections, which magnetizes the mounting surface for attracting one of the substrate holders, and a second position in which the magnet circuit is short circuited and the mounting surface is demagnetized, thereby to release one of the substrate holders from the magnetic latch and enabling the substrate and substrate holder to be removed from the magnetic latch and the process chamber.