Patent ID: 6843883

Claim:
A vacuum processing apparatus including: a vacuum transfer chamber whose interior can be maintained in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state; a plurality of vacuum processing chambers that are disposed adjacent to said vacuum transfer chamber so as to communicate therewith or be isolated therefrom, and carry out prescribed processing on an object to be processed, in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state; a load-lock chamber, the interior pressure of which is reduced from atmospheric pressure, that carries out receiving and transfer of said object to be processed, between the outside and said vacuum transfer chamber; and a transfer mechanism, which is provided in said vacuum transfer chamber, which receives said object from said load-lock chamber, and transfers said object into said plurality of vacuum processing chambers, and at the same time, moves said object into said load-lock chamber after prescribed processing is completed; a first pump maintaining the vacuum transfer chamber in the vacuum state or pressure-reduced state; a second pump reducing the interior pressure of the load-lock chamber from the atmospheric pressure; and further comprising: a bypass line for connecting said vacuum transfer chamber to said load-lock chamber; a bypass valve for opening and shutting said bypass line; a first opening and shutting valve for opening and shutting between said load-lock chamber and said vacuum transfer chamber; a second opening and shutting valve for opening and shutting between said vacuum processing chambers and said vacuum transfer chamber; and a control device controlling the bypass valve, the first pump, the second pump, the first opening and shutting valve and the second opening and shutting valve; wherein the control device is constructed so as to open the bypass valve when the atmospheric pressure in said load-lock chamber is reduced to a prescribed level with said first opening and shutting valve closed, and cause said load-lock chamber and said vacuum transfer chamber to communicate with each other by said bypass valve and said bypass line in a state where said vacuum processing chambers are isolated from said vacuum transfer chamber by said second opening and shutting valve.