Patent ID: RE39824

Claim:
Sample processing apparatus, comprising: a cassette table exposed to a cassette-transferring atmosphere, for mounting a cassette to store plural samples, an atmospheric transferring device, for transferring a sample in said cassette in an atmospheric condition, said cassette being mounted on said cassette table; a locking mechanism for changing over from the atmospheric condition to a reduced pressure condition as compared to the atmospheric condition, or changing over the reduced pressure condition to the atmospheric condition; a vacuum transferring chamber coupled to said locking mechanism, for transferring said sample in a vacuum condition; and plural vacuum processing chambers, connected to said vacuum transferring chamber, for processing said plural samples, wherein said sample in said cassette is carried into any vacuum processing chamber, of said plural vacuum processing chambers, by way of said atmospheric transferring device, said locking mechanism, and said vacuum transferring chamber, a surface of said sample being maintained substantially horizontal while being carried into the vacuum processing chamber and processed therein, and wherein said sample which has been processed in said vacuum processing chamber is carried out, to a cassette mounted on said cassette table, with said surface of the sample being maintained horizontal.