Vacuum processing apparatus

A vacuum processing apparatus including a load-lock chamber, a vacuum transferring chamber and a processing chamber, respectively, having gas evacuating means, said load-lock chamber adapted to receive a plurality of substrates from outside of the apparatus, and feed therefrom the substrates into said vacuum transferring chamber, receive processed substrates from said vacuum transferring chamber, and transferring therefrom the processed substrates from the apparatus, said processing chamber being adapted to receive said substrates from said vacuum transferring chamber, process the substrates, and feed therefrom the processed substrates into said vacuum transferring chamber, wherein said load-lock chamber comprises first isolating valve means for isolating and communicating between an inside of said load-lock chamber and the outside of the apparatus and second isolation valve means for isolating and communicating between the inside of the load-lock chamber and an inside of the vacuum transferring chamber, and said processing chamber comprises a vessel detachably secured to a wall of said vacuum transferring chamber and located at an arranging aperture formed in said wall of said vacuum transferring chamber and closing said arranging aperture in an air-tight manner from the outside of the apparatus, and a substrate arranging portion disposed in said vacuum transferring chamber in opposition to said vessel and movable toward and away from said vessel to form an air-tight chamber space in said vessel isolated from said vacuum transferring chamber when said substrate arranging portion has moved to said vessel, and wherein said vacuum transferring chamber comprises therein substrate transferring means for transferring the substrates and processed substrates along transferring passages in the vacuum transferring chamber and said substrate arranging portion comprises substrate lifter means for moving the substrates between said transferring passages and said substrate arranging portion.