Process equipment with simultaneous or sequential deposition and etching capabilities

An apparatus for depositing material on substrates comprising:

• a vacuum chamber having first and second generally parallel side walls;
• a pallet rotatably mounted within the vacuum chamber and having
• an axis of rotation generally perpendicular to the first and second side walls, and
• first and second generally parallel surfaces generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation, portions of each of the first and the second surfaces having means for receiving at least one of the substrates at a predetermined radius from the axis of rotation, the predetermined radius defining a central area with respect to the axis of rotation;
• first and second material deposition processing stations mounted in the first and the second side walls, respectively, of the vacuum chamber at locations generally opposite the substrates on the portions of the first and the second surfaces;
• a first electrode mounted within the central area on one of the first and the second surfaces of the pallet, the first electrode having a cylindrical plate concentric with the axis of rotation of the pallet, the first electrode being electrically connected to the portions of the first and the second surfaces receiving the substrates;
• a second electrode having a shaft extending through one of the first and the second side walls of the vacuum chamber opposite the one of the first and the second surfaces of the pallet, the second electrode having a cylindrical plate concentric with the axis of rotation of the pallet, the cylindrical plate of the second electrode being selectively movable adjacent to and away from the cylindrical plate of the first electrode to capacitively couple and uncouple, respectively, a RF bias to the substrates on the portions of the first and the second surfaces.

An apparatus for depositing material on substrates comprising:

• a vacuum chamber having first and second generally parallel side walls;
• a pallet mounted within the vacuum chamber and having first and second generally parallel surfaces oriented within the vacuum chamber to be generally parallel to the first and second side walls, respectively, portions of the first and the second surfaces having means for receiving at least one of the substrates at a predetermined distance from a center of the pallet, the predetermined distance defining a central area of the pallet;
• first and second material deposition processing stations mounted in the first and the second side walls, respectively, of the vacuum chamber at locations generally opposite the substrates on the portions of the first and the second surfaces;
• a first electrical contact mounted on the pallet and having a surface located above and generally perpendicular to the first and second surfaces, the surface of the first electrical contact being electrically connected to the portions of the first and the second surfaces receiving the substrates;
• and
• a second electrical contact having a shaft extending through an upper wall of the vacuum chamber and having a surface generally parallel to the surface of the first electrical contact, the surface of the second electrical contact being selectively engagable and disengagable with the surface of the first electrical contact to apply and remove, respectively, a bias to the substrates on the portions of the first and the second surfaces.

An apparatus for shaping substantially parallel longitudinal edges of blades in a stack of blades by a material deposition process, the longitudinal edges having first and second edge sides converging to a longitudinal edge tip, the apparatus comprising:

• a vacuum chamber;
• a conveying device mounted within the vacuum chamber and providing a circular conveying path with respect to an axis of rotation, the conveying device having
• a first work mounting surface, and
• the first work mounting surface receiving the stack of blades, the stack of blades having a center displaced from a center of the axis of rotation, the conveying device moving the stack of blades along the conveying path;
• a first material etching station mounted in the vacuum chamber at a first location along the conveying path and directed toward only the first edge side of the longitudinal edge;
• and
• a second material etching station mounted in the vacuum chamber at a second location along the conveying path and directed toward only the second edge side of the longitudinal edge, the conveying device moves the stack of blades along the conveying path past the first etching station to etch the first edge side and successively past the second etching station to sequentially etch the second edge side.

An apparatus for shaping substantially parallel longitudinal edges of blades in a stack of blades by a material deposition process, the longitudinal edges having first and second edge sides converging to a longitudinal edge tip, the apparatus comprising:

• a vacuum chamber having a first side wall;
• a conveying device mounted within the vacuum chamber and providing an conveying path, the conveying device having
• a first work mounting surface, and
• receiving the stack of blades, the conveying device moving the stack of blades along the conveying path;
• a first material etching station mounted in the side wall of the vacuum chamber at a first location along the conveying path and directed toward only the first edge side of the longitudinal edge;
• and
• a second material etching station mounted in the side wall of the vacuum chamber at a second location along the conveying path and directed toward only the second edge side of the longitudinal edge, the conveying device moving the stack of blades along the conveying path in a plane substantially parallel to the side wall of the vacuum chamber and past the first etching station to etch the first edge side and successively past the second etching station to sequentially etch the second edge side.

A method for shaping substantially parallel longitudinal edges of blades in stacks of blades using a material deposition process, the longitudinal edges having respective first and second edge sides converging to respective longitudinal cutting tips, the method comprising:

• mounting first stacks of blades on a conveying device providing a conveying path with at least one of the blades in each of the first stacks of blades having a longitudinal cutting tip perpendicular to the conveying path;
• conveying the first stacks of blades along the conveying path past a first material etching station directed toward only the first edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades;
• etching the first edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades with the first material etching station;
• and
• successively conveying the first stacks of blades along the conveying path past a second material etching station directed toward only the second edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades;
• and
• sequentially etching the second edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades with the second material etching station.

A method for shaping substantially parallel longitudinal edges of blades in stacks of blades using a material deposition process, the longitudinal edges having respective first and second edge sides converging to respective longitudinal cutting tips, the method comprising:

• mounting first stacks of blades on one side of a rotating pallet a predetermined radius from an axis of rotation of the rotating pallet, at least one of the blades in each of the first stacks of blades having a longitudinal cutting tip parallel to the predetermined radius;
• conveying the first stacks of blades on the rotating pallet past a first material etching station directed toward only the first edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades;
• etching the first edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades with the first material etching station;
• and
• successively conveying the first stacks of blades on the rotating pallet past a second material etching station directed toward only the second edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades;
• and
• sequentially etching the second edge sides of the longitudinal edges of the first stacks of blades with the second material etching station.