Patent ID: 7641069

Claim:
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a vacuum vessel having its inside decompressed; an opening disposed through a wall of the vacuum vessel for communicating the inside with the outside of said vacuum vessel and through which a sample to be processed is taken in and out; a valve body disposed inside the vacuum vessel for airtightly sealing or opening the opening, the valve body being moved along a surface of the wall; a drive unit for driving the valve body to carry out the sealing or opening operation, the drive unit comprising a first member coupled to an actuator that moves along a substantially linear first direction which is along the wall as a result of operation of the actuator, a second member coupled to the first member, the second member being coupled with respect to the first member capable of moving in a second direction that intersects with the first direction while the actuator moves the first member; and a guide member disposed on a side of the second member on which the first member moves for restraining the movement of the second member along the first direction and relatively moving the second member along the second direction, the valve body being coupled to the second member to seal the opening as a result of the movement of the second member.