Leybold Aktiengesellschaft

Herbert Naehring

Peter Mahler

In a pivoting air lock for the entry and/or exit of a substrate from one treatment chamber into an adjacent one or from atmospheric space into a chamber of lesser pressure, especially a slot air lock for a pass-through vacuum coating apparatus, with a flap-like valve plate (2) held in stationary bearings (11, 11a) and two closing motors (10, 10a) in active connection with the valve plate, the valve plate (2) is, with the interposition of two spring rods (5, 5a), linked to a valve beam (1) which in turn has two diametrically opposite journals (12, 12a) which are coupled for rotation with the shafts (18, 18a) of the motors (10, 10a), the shafts (18, 18a) of the motors (10, 10a) being brought in a pressure-proof manner through the wall (13, 13a) of the chamber (3).

Pivoting air lock for a treatment chamber

Apparatus for transporting substrates 22, 23 in vacuum deposition systems with several stations, comprising plate-like substrate holders 16 which are moved across the stations in a vertical position along a given path and have two rails which interact with two rows of rollers provided underneath the substrate holders. The side of the first rail 13 facing away from the substrate holder 16 has a longitudinal groove 13a which interacts with rollers 7, 7', 7', . . . which are rotatably disposed at the frame 4 of the apparatus and disposed in a first row where they are spaced apart. The second rail 14 runs parallel to the first one and has a planar bearing surface 14a the plane E.sub.2 of which intersects the rotating axes V.sub.a of the first row at a right angle and approximately traverses the center of gravity S of the substrate holder 16. The bearing surface 14a interacts with S rollers 8, 8', . . . which are disposed in a second row and at the bottom of the frame 4 where they rotate around vertical axes 1.sub.a. A vertical plane E.sub.1 in the longitudinal groove 13a of the first rail 13 is laterally offset with respect to plane E.sub.2 of the planar bearing surface.

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Rodenbach, Germany

Herbert Naehring