Patent ID: 6895685

Claim:
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising a plurality of vacuum processing blocks and one cassette block arranged at a front part of said plurality of vacuum processing blocks, wherein said one cassette block is capable of mounting a plurality of cassettes storing sample to be processed at a front part of said vacuum processing apparatus and containing a first sample transfer means for transferring said sample in an atmosphere, each of said plurality of vacuum processing blocks contains a load lock chamber, a vacuum processing chamber for processing said sample and a second sample transfer means for transferring said sample between said vacuum processing chamber and said load lock chamber, said first sample transfer means is a common transfer means for transferring said sample between said plurality of cassettes mounted at a front part of said vacuum processing apparatus and said load lock chambers included in each of said plurality of vacuum processing blocks, said sample is taken out of one of said plurality of cassettes, transferred into one of said plurality of vacuum processing blocks and processed sample at said vacuum processing blocks is returned back to an original position of the original cassette.