Patent ID: 7270714

Claim:
A surface treating apparatus comprising: a treating chamber connected to an evacuating system; a melting/evaporating source for melting and evaporating a wire-shaped vapor-depositing material containing a vapor deposition controlling gas, disposed in the treating chamber; a rotatable cage-shaped, work retaining member, disposed in the treating chamber, and spaced above the melting/evaporating source, for retaining a work on which the vapor depositing material is deposited; a supply of wire-shaped vapor-depositing material containing a predetermined amount of the vapor deposition controlling gas wound about a feed reel; a thermal resistant protective tube disposed between the feed reel and the melting/evaporating source; and the feed reel being mounted so as to rotate about a substantially vertical rotational axis, and disposed in the treating chamber below the melting/evaporating source; such that, as the wire-shaped vapor-depositing material containing the vapor deposition controlling gas is supplied from the feed reel to the melting/evaporating source, the wire-shaped vapor-depositing material containing the vapor deposition controlling gas has a horizontally disposed lower portion, a vertically disposed intermediate portion and a horizontally disposed upper portion, and the wire-shaped vapor-depositing material containing the vapor deposition controlling gas is protected by the thermal resistant protective tube between the feed reel and the melting/evaporating source.