Plasma treatment apparatus and method for operating same
AssigneeUnaxis Balzers Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsAlexander Marxer, Andreas Meyerhans, Fredy Zuend
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for plasma treating workpieces in vacuum comprises a stack of plasma chambers (20). Handling of workpieces to and from the plasma chambers of the stack is performed in parallelism by one handling device and through lateral handling openings of the plasma chambers. The handling device is rotatable around an axis parallel to the handling openings of the plasma chambers and comprises transport means simultaneously movable radially with respect to the axis of rotation towards and from the handling openings.
Claims27
A method of operating an apparatus for vacuum plasma treatment comprising:
- providing at least one treatment station with at least two substrate carriers stacked one above the other and in vertical alignment, further with at least two sealably closable handling openings vertically in mutual alignment and substantially horizontally aligned with respective ones of said at least two carriers,
- a transport chamber communicating with said station via said handling openings and comprising a transport robot drivingly rotatable around a vertical axis in said transport chamber and comprising at least two substrate supports being vertically aligned and extending horizontally and substantially aligned with said at least two carriers respectively and being radially movable with respect to said axis, wherein, the step of interrupting processing at said at least one treatment station just for handling at least two substrates in parallel to or from said transport chamber.
A method for manufacturing flat, plasma-treated substrates comprising:
- (a) providing at least one treatment station with at least two substrate carriers stacked one above the other and in vertical alignment;
- (b) providing for said treatment station at least two sealably closable handling openings vertically in mutual alignment and substantially horizontally aligned with respective ones of said at least two substrate carriers;
- (c) providing a transport chamber communicating with said station via said handling openings;
- (c2) providing a transport robot drivingly rotatable around a vertical axis in said transport chamber;
- (d) providing at least two substrate supports on said transport robot, said supports being vertically staggered and being radially movable with respect to said axis;
- (e) depositing at least one substrate on one of said at least two substrate supports;
- (f) rotating aid transport robot to bring said support in alignment with one of said at least two handling openings;
- (g) radially moving said support through said opening;
- (h) depositing said substrate on one of said at least two substrate carriers;
- (i) sealingly closing said one of said at least two sealably closable handling openings;
- (j) plasma-treating said substrate within said treatment station;
- and
- (k) removing aid plasma-treated substrate from said treatment station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.