Device for loading and unloading substrates from a vacuum chamber

Claim 1

A device for removing a cartridge (11, 11') containing substrates (23, 23',...) from a housing (22) and for the further transport thereof to a vacuum chamber (17) and for loading into the interior of the vacuum chamber (17) for the processing of the substrates (23, 23'....) and for their subsequent unloading from the vacuum chamber (17), their return transport and their re-insertion into the housing (22), characterised by a transfer plate (13) which is arranged in the region of a loading opening (16) of a bottom box (9) which partially encloses the device and on which the cartridge (11, 11') can be deposited, while the cartridge (11, 11') is surrounded by the housing (22) which is open on its underside and whose frame member (40), which surrounds the lower edge of the housing (22), is supported on the upper wall member (10) of the bottom box (9) which partially encloses the device, where the transfer plate (13) can be moved in the vertical and/or horizontal directions by a lifting device (21, 21'; 4, 4'; 5; 20, 20'), while the housing (22) is positioned in sealing fashion on the bottom box (9) and thereby closes the loading opening (16) for the cartridge (11, 11'), whereupon the transfer plate (13) can be moved to an opening (39) leading to the vacuum tank (17) connected to the bottom box (9) and can be closed by the transfer plate (13).

Claim 3

A device as claimed in Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the bottom box (9) of the device contains an outlet opening (26) for an air flow (a, b, c), by which it is flushed through, and can be connected via a pipeline (15) to a fan unit (8).

Claim 5

A device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (22), which is supported on the upper wall member (10) of the bottom box (9), for the cartridge (11, 11') which holds the substrates (23, 23') comprises a frame member (40) which surrounds the opening formed in the underside of the cartridge (11, 11') and the internal width of which corresponds approximately to that of the loading opening (16).

Claim 6

A device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the opening (39) for the vacuum tank (17) is formed in the upper wall member (10) of the bottom box (9) of the device, where the internal width of the opening (39) is contrived to be smaller than the corresponding width of the transfer plate (13), but larger than the corresponding dimension of the carrier plate (2) which supports the base (11') of the cartridge (11).

Claim 7

A device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the vacuum tank (17) is connected via a transport chamber (32) to a high vacuum process chamber (27), where the connecting openings (36, 37) between the transport chamber (32) on the one hand and the vacuum tank (17) and high vacuum process chamber (27) on the other hand can be closed via slides or valve elements (34, 35) and where a transport arm (30) with a substrate holder (31) arranged thereon is pivotably mounted in the transport chamber (32), where said substrate holder (31) can be moved on the one hand into the region of the cartridge (11) and on the other hand into the region of a substrate support or carrier rods (33, 33') which are arranged in the process chamber (27).

Claim 8

A device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the motor driven gear unit (3) which is connected to the transfer plate (13) permits a stepped extension of the ram (24) as a function of the movement of the transport arm (30) via an electric step-by-step switching device known per se, where the height of the vacuum tank (17) is contrived to be such that the lowermost substrate (23) contained in the cartridge (11, 11') can still be moved into the pivoting range of the substrate holder (31) of the transport arm (30).