Unaxis-balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Jerome Perrin

Jacques Schmitt

Rudolf Wagner

Mustapha Elyaakoubi

A process for the vacuum treatment of workpieces, includes loading the workpieces into a treatment facility, surface treating the workpieces in at least one vacuum station of the facility grouped as a station batch and controlling at least the timing of the process by a freely programmable process controller unit. At least two stations operating each on workpiece batches can be grouped as respective station batches and be different with respect to number of workpieces. The workpieces can be transported to and from the grouped stations. An embodiment of vacuum treatment system for such a process includes at least one vacuum treatment station for workpieces grouped as a station batch. A transport system supplies the vacuum station with workpieces. A process controller unit has an output operationally connected to a drive arrangement for the transport system. The unit controls operating timing of the treatment system and is freely programmable.

Processes for vacuum treating workpieces, and corresponding process equipment

A method of manufacturing workpieces, includes loading the workpieces into a treatment facility, surface treating the workpieces in at least one vacuum station of the facility grouped as a station batch and controlling at least the timing of the process by a freely programmable process controller unit. At least two stations operating each on workpiece batches can be grouped as respective station batches and be different with respect to number of workpieces. The workpieces can be transported to and from the grouped stations. An embodiment of vacuum treatment system for such a process includes at least one vacuum treatment station for workpieces grouped as a station batch. A transport system supplies the vacuum station with workpieces. A process controller unit has an output operationally connected to a drive arrangement for the transport system. The unit controls operating timing of the treatment system and is freely programmable.

Process for vacuum treating workpieces, and corresponding process equipment

A capacitively coupled RF plasma reactor allows treatment of large workpiece surfaces with an accurate control of ion bombardment onto the respective electrode surfaces and thus an adjacent workpiece, be it to a desired low or to a desired high level. The reactor includes a first and a second electrode arrangement mutually spaced and confining a plasma reaction volume, at lest one of the electrode arrangements comprising electrically mutually isolated sub-electrodes, a first group of the sub-electrodes being commonly connected to a first electric input, and a second group of the sub-electrodes being commonly connected to a second electric input. The reactor thus substitutes at least one of the two customarily used reactor electrodes by an array of sub-electrodes which, by way of their respective first and second electric inputs, may be independently and thus differently electrically operated, usually but not exclusively with RF voltages.

Capacitively coupled RF-plasma reactor

Process for handling workpieces and apparatus therefor

A capacitively coupled Rf plasma reactor and method in which first and second extended electrode arrangements are mutually and substantially constantly spaced and substantially enclose a plasma reaction volume within a reactor chamber. The first of the electrode arrangements is subdivided into electrically mutually isolated subelectrodes, and the second is a substrate carrier electrode for an extended substrate to be surface treated in the reactor. A first group of the subelectrodes is connected to a common first electric input, and a second group of the subelectrodes is commonly connected to a second electric input. The first and said second electric inputs being independent. Only one Rf signal generator providing an electric output is connected to both the first and second electric inputs via respective signal adjusting units to control ion bombardment on and along the flat substrate. Slits can be formed between subelectrodes of the first electrode arrangement with a width smaller than a dark space distance of a plasma generated in the reaction volume. A gas feed arrangement communicating with the bottom of the slits applies a gas between said subelectrodes defining said slits and into said reaction volume.

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Paris, France

Jerome Perrin