Assembly for processing substrates

An assembly for processing substrates comprising:

• a conveyor device configured to move a substrate from a vacuum lock to a process chamber, the conveyor device extending in a vacuum space, said conveyor device being configured to continuously convey the substrate adjacent the process chamber and to intermittently convey the substrate adjacent the vacuum lock,
• wherein the conveyor device comprises a rail system, the rail system comprising:
• a plurality of rails extending in the vacuum space,
• a plurality of carriers, said carriers being configured to move over the rails,
• wherein a drive of each carrier is controllable independently of a drive of the other carriers, and each carrier comprises a plurality of magnets, and a plurality of stationary coils are arranged outside the vacuum space, at adjacent positions along which the magnets move, wherein the coils cause the carriers to advance over the rails when the coils are excited,
• a controller configured to control the exciting of the coils such that a first carrier moves intermittently and at the same time a second carrier moves continuously.

An assembly for processing substrates comprising:

• a conveyor device configured to move a substrate from a vacuum lock to a process chamber, the conveyor device extending in a vacuum space, the conveyor device being configured to continuously convey the substrate adjacent the process chamber and to intermittently convey the substrate adjacent the vacuum lock,
• wherein the conveyor device comprises a rail system, the rail system comprising:
• a plurality of rails extending in the vacuum space,
• a plurality of carriers, said carriers being configured to move over the rails, a drive of each carrier is controllable independently of a drive of the other carriers,
• wherein each carrier comprises:
• a base part including a bearing, the bearing supporting the carrier while allowing the carrier to move,
• an intermediate part connected to the base part, the intermediate part being movable in vertical direction, and
• a substrate carrier part attached onto the intermediate part with an attachment member, the attachment member forming a thermal insulation between the intermediate part and the substrate carrier part.

An assembly for processing substrates comprising:

• a conveyor device configured to move a substrate from a vacuum lock to a process chamber, the conveyor device extending in a vacuum space, said conveyor device being configured to intermittently convey the substrate adjacent the vacuum lock along a first path, the first path of the conveyor device comprising a plurality of discrete positions, and to continuously convey the substrate adjacent the process chamber along a second path,
• wherein the conveyor device comprises a rail system, the rail system comprising:
• a plurality of rails extending in the vacuum space,
• a plurality of carriers, said carriers being configured to move over the rails, and a drive of each carrier is controllable independently of a drive of the other carriers,
• wherein the first path has a discharge end and the second path has a supply end, and the discharge end of the first path is connected via a third path to the supply end of the second path,
• wherein the first path has a supply end and the second path has a discharge end, and the discharge end of the second path is connected via a fourth path to the supply end of the first path,
• wherein the first path includes a vacuum lock for the supply of substrates,
• wherein the third path includes a heater configured to effect a pre-heating of the substrate from the ambient temperature to a temperature of about 300° C.,
• wherein the second path includes a heater configured to effect a pre-heating of the substrate to about 400° C., after the heater the second path includes a plurality of vacuum deposition chambers along which a respective substrate is movable continuously, following the plurality of vacuum deposition chamber, the second and the fourth path include a cooler configured to effect cooling to about 150° C., and
• wherein adjacent a supply end of the first path additional coolers are provided for cooling the substrates further to 60° C., and downstream of the additional coolers a vacuum lock is provided for taking the substrate out of the vacuum space.