Applied Materials, Inc.

Florian Ries

Stefan Hein

Tobias Stolley

Jose Manuel Dieguez-Campo

Neil Morrison

Andreas Sauer

Heike Landgraf

Jürgen Henrich

Wolfgang Buschbeck

Hans-Georg Lotz

Morrison Neil

Stefan Lorenz

Thomas Goihl

Manuel Jose Dieguez-Campo

An apparatus for processing a flexible substrate is provided including a vacuum chamber having a first chamber portion, second chamber portion and third chamber portion. The apparatus further includes an unwinding shaft supporting the flexible substrate to be processed and a winding shaft supporting the flexible substrate after processing, wherein the unwinding shaft and the winding shaft are disposed in the first chamber portion, a first wall separating the first chamber portion from the second chamber portion, wherein the first wall is inclined with respect to a vertical and horizontal orientation, a coating drum having a first portion disposed in the second chamber portion and a second portion disposed in the third chamber portion, and a plurality of processing stations disposed at least partially in the third chamber portion, wherein a majority of the plurality of the processing stations are disposed below a rotational axis of the coating drum.

Deposition platform for flexible substrates and method of operation thereof

A vacuum processing system for a flexible substrate is provided. The processing system includes a first chamber adapted for housing one of a supply roll for providing the flexible substrate and a take-up roll for storing the flexible substrate; a second chamber adapted for housing one of a supply roll for providing the flexible substrate and a take-up roll for storing the flexible substrate; a maintenance zone between the first chamber and the second chamber; and a first process chamber for depositing material on the flexible substrate, wherein the second chamber is provided between the maintenance zone and the first process chamber. The maintenance zone allows for maintenance access to at least one of the first chamber and the second chamber.

Vacuum processing system and method for mounting a processing system

An apparatus includes a substrate support having an outer surface for guiding the substrate through a first vacuum processing region and at least one second vacuum processing region. First and second deposition sources correspond to the first processing region and at least one second deposition source corresponds to the at least one second vacuum processing region, wherein at least the first deposition source includes an electrode having a surface that opposes the substrate support. A processing gas inlet and a processing gas outlet are arranged at opposing sides of the surface of the electrode. At least one separation gas inlet how one or more openings, wherein the one or more openings are at least provided at one of opposing sides of the electrode surface such that the processing gas inlet and/or the processing gas outlet are provided between the one or more openings and the surface of the electrode.

Common deposition platform, processing station, and method of operation thereof

According to the present disclosure, a method for cleaning the processing chamber of a flexible substrate processing apparatus without breaking the vacuum in the processing chamber is provided. The method for cleaning the processing chamber includes guiding a sacrificial foil into the processing chamber; initiating a first pump process in the processing chamber; plasma cleaning the processing chamber while the sacrificial foil is provided in the processing chamber; initiating a second pump process in the processing chamber; and guiding a flexible substrate into the processing chamber.

Cleaning method for thin-film processing applications and apparatus for use therein

A processing apparatus for processing a flexible substrate, particularly a vacuum processing apparatus for processing a flexible substrate, is described. The processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber; a processing drum within the vacuum chamber, wherein the processing drum is configured to rotate around an axis extending in a first direction; and a heating device adjacent to the processing drum, wherein the heating device is configured for spreading the substrate in the first direction or for maintaining a spread of the substrate in the first direction, and wherein the heating device has a dimension in a direction parallel to a substrate transport direction of at least 20 mm.

Substrate spreading device for vacuum processing apparatus, vacuum processing apparatus with substrate spreading device and method for operating same

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Westerngrund, Germany

Florian Ries