Vapor-deposition apparatus

Claim 1

A vapor-deposition arrangement, comprising, in combination, housing means defining a vaporization compartment and an additional compartment communicating with said vaporization compartment via a communication opening; moving means for moving a web to be coated across said communication opening along a predetermined path so oriented with respect to said communication opening that a web moved by said moving means across said opening and along said path blocks said opening and separates said compartments from each other; evacuating means for establishing subatmospheric pressure in said compartments; and vaporizing means within said vaporization compartment for creating a stream of vaporized material directed towards said communication opening for condensation upon the one side of the web facing said vaporization compartment, whereby any volatile substance which, due to the liberated heat of said condensation, escapes from the web at other side thereof and into said additional compartment will substantially be prevented by the presence of the web from passing into said vaporization compartment through said communication opening, and wherein said moving means includes a generally cylindrical guide roller interposed between said compartments substantially closing said opening and adapted to guide and support a ribbon-like web at the side of the latter facing said additional compartment, and wherein the outermost peripheral surface of said guide roller is incomplete so that a web supported on said outermost peripheral surface will be engaged by said roller only at portions of its surface so as to permit passage into said additional compartment of volatile substances escaping from the unsupported portions of said other side of such web.