Apparatus for applying thin layers to a substrate
AssigneeUnaxis Deutschland Holding GmbH
InventorsJoachim Szczyrbowski, Götz Teschner, Jürgen Bruch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process gas source (16) is connected to the vacuum chamber (5), and a metering valve (12) actuated by an automatic controller is installed between the vacuum chamber (5) and the process gas source (16). A potentiometric measurement electrode compares the amount of a gas in the vacuum chamber (5) with a reference gas by way of a reference electrode or with a solid body substituting for the reference electrode and sends a signal to automatic control unit (14), which contains a signal amplifier. The control unit then drives the generator of the power supply or the metering valve for the process gas.
Claims7
An apparatus for coating a substrate, said apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum chamber,
- a vacuum pump having a suction port connected to said vacuum chamber,
- a process gas source connected to said vacuum chamber by a process gas supply line having a metering valve,
- a lambda probe for directly determining the partial pressure of said process gas in said vacuum chamber and generating a signal representing said partial pressure, wherein said lambda probe is positioned in a vacuum atmosphere in said apparatus, and
- control means for regulating at least one of said metering valve and said power supply based on said signal.
An apparatus for coating a substrate, said apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum chamber;
- a vacuum pump having a suction port connected to said vacuum chamber, said vacuum pump comprising a main vacuum pump and an auxiliary vacuum pump, wherein said main vacuum pump and said auxiliary vacuum pump are connected by a connecting line therebetween;
- a process gas source connected to said vacuum chamber by a process gas supply line having a metering valve;
- a lambda probe in said connecting line to determine a partial pressure of the process gas, said lambda probe generating a signal representing the partial pressure of the process gas;
- and
- a control unit operatively connected to said lambda probe for regulating at least one of said metering valve and said power supply based on said signal.
An apparatus for coating a substrate, said apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum chamber,
- a vacuum pump having a suction port connected to said vacuum chamber,
- a process gas source connected to said vacuum chamber by a process gas supply line having a metering valve,
- a lambda probe for directly determining the partial pressure of said process gas in said vacuum chamber and generating a signal representing said partial pressure, wherein said lambda probe is positioned in a vacuum atmosphere in said apparatus, and
- a control unit for regulating at least one of said metering valve and said power supply based on said signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.