Patent ID: 8430998

Claim:
A sputtering apparatus comprising: a preheating chamber; a deposition chamber; a passage in communication with the preheating chamber and the deposition chamber; two support assemblies, one received in the preheating chamber, the other received in the deposition chamber, with each support assembly defining a central axis in the center thereof, about which the support assembly rotates; each support assembly comprising an upper base, a lower base opposite to the upper base, a plurality of seat members mounted to the lower base opposite to the upper base, and at least two connection posts interconnected between the upper base and the lower base, the upper base comprising a plurality of cutouts defined in a peripheral edge thereof opening toward a direction away from the central axis, the lower base defining a plurality of first receiving holes aligned with the respective cutouts, the seat members rotatably received in the corresponding first receiving holes; and each seat member comprising a support post received in the corresponding first receiving hole, a support base, and a cylindrical engagement post, the support post and the engagement post aligned with each other and extending from opposite sides of the support base, each engagement post comprising a second receiving hole, a sidewall surrounding the second receiving hole, and a slot defined in the sidewall, each seat member rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the support post; a plurality of posts capable of detachably mounting on the two support assemblies, each post configured for fixing iron workpieces thereon and being radially moveable away from the central axis to separate from the corresponding support assembly, each post comprising a rod body portion, an engagement portion having a greater size than that of the rod body portion, and a protrusion extending from the rod body portion and engagable in the slot, the rod body portion comprising a first end and an opposite second end, the second end receivingly engaged in the second receiving hole, the engagement portion engaged in the cutout, the protrusion extending from the second receiving hole to the slot, the cutouts and the seat members configured for engaging with the respective posts, each post jointly rotatable with the rotation of the corresponding seat member; a transferring robot arranged in the preheating chamber, the transferring robot configured for demounting any given one of the posts from a given one of the two support assemblies, transferring the demounted post between the preheating chamber and the deposition chamber, and mounting the transferred post on the other support assembly; and a magnetic assembly fixed on the transferring robot, the magnetic assembly configured for collecting iron workpieces dropped on a bottom in the preheating chamber, the deposition chamber, or the passage.