Vacuum lock and method for transferring a substrate carrier

A vacuum lock for a vacuum coating plant, comprising:

• a chamber for receiving a substrate carrier and having an upper chamber part and a lower chamber part, wherein the chamber comprises a first and a second inner surface,
• a conveyor with drive components for conveying the substrate carrier, and
• a flow channel assembly for evacuating and venting the chamber, said flow channel assembly being configured to cause a gas flow in both a first region between the first inner surface and a first substrate carrier surface facing the first inner surface and in a second region between the second inner surface and a second substrate carrier surface facing the second inner surface,
• wherein the flow channel assembly comprises at least one channel that is configured to create a gas flow perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the channel in at least one region of the first substrate carrier surface and at least one region of the second substrate carrier surface and to eliminate crossflows parallel to the longitudinal direction of the channel in the first region and the second region when the chamber is being vented and/or evacuated,
• wherein the flow channel assembly comprises at least one additional channel which extends parallel to the at least one channel, and the at least one additional channel is spaced apart from the at least one channel by at least the length of the substrate carrier along a travel direction of the conveyor, and
• wherein the vacuum lock is configured such that a difference in pressure between the first substrate carrier surface and the second substrate carrier surface is 10 Pa or less when a pressure change rate within the chamber exceeds 100 hPa/s during an evacuation operation or a venting operation of the chamber.

A method for introducing a substrate carrier into a vacuum coating plant or for removing the substrate carrier from the vacuum coating plant, comprising the steps of:

• positioning the substrate carrier with a plurality of substrates within a chamber of a vacuum lock,
• generating a gas flow on a first substrate carrier surface and a second substrate carrier surface opposite thereto,
• wherein the vacuum lock comprises a flow channel assembly that comprises at least one channel that is configured to create a gas flow perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the channel in a least one region of the first substrate carrier surface and at least one region of the second substrate carrier surface and to eliminate crossflows parallel to the longitudinal direction of the channel in the first region and the second region when the chamber is being vented and/or evacuated,
• wherein the flow channel assembly comprises at least one additional channel which extends parallel to the at least one channel, and the at least one additional channel is spaced apart from the at least one channel by at least the length of the substrate carrier along a travel direction of the conveyor
• wherein a ratio of a first distance between a first inner surface of the chamber and the first substrate carrier surface to a length of the substrate carrier is smaller than 0.1, and
• wherein a ratio of a second distance between a second inner surface of the chamber and the second substrate carrier surface to the length of the substrate carrier is smaller than 0.1.