Transfer and temperature monitoring apparatus

In combination,

• a vacuum enclosure, said vacuum enclosure including a treatment station for a substrate,
• a holder for the substrate,
• a carriage for bringing the holder from outside of the vacuum enclosure into the enclosure and thence to the station and from the station to outside of the enclosure,
• means for selectively fixedly mounting the holder at the station,
• means for selectively fixedly mounting the holder on the carriage,
• a heater at the station for heating the holder and substrate while they are fixedly mounted at the station, and thermocouple means at the station for monitoring the temperature of the holder and substrate while they are fixedly mounted at the station and for deriving a control signal for the heater, said thermocouple means including first and second metal contact pins at the treating station, said pins being arranged to selectively contact a surface of the holder, said first contact pin and surface when contacting forming a first thermocouple junction, said second contact pin and surface when contacting forming a second thermocouple junction, said junctions having dissimilar properties so that a voltage indicative of the temperature of the object is derived between them while the pins and surface contact each other,
• said treating station and carriage including means for transferring the holder between the carriage and the treating station, said transferring means including means for providing translational and rotational motion between the holder and the treating station during transfer of the holder, and
• means for preventing contact between the surface and the pins during the rotational motion.