Applied Materials, Inc.

Applied Materials Gmbh & Co Kg

Stefan Hein

Florian Ries

Peter Skuk

Tobias Stolley

Jose Manuel Dieguez-Campo

Neil Morrison

Andreas Sauer

Heike Landgraf

Wolfgang Klein

Jürgen Henrich

Wolfgang Buschbeck

Reiner Kukla

Hans-Georg Lotz

Gerd Hoffmann

Rainer Ludwig

Stefan Keller

Guenter Klemm

Peter Sauer

Gunter Klemm

Günter Klemm

Karl-Heinz Wenk

Karl-Albert Keim

Morrison Neil

Stefan Lorenz

Juergen Bruch

Andre Herzog

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

A web guide control unit for guiding a web is provided. The web guide control unit includes a web guide control unit for guiding a web. The web guide control unit includes a guide roller. The guide roller includes an adjustment unit and two tension measurement units for measuring the tension of the web at a first location and a second location of the guide roller. The present disclosure also provides a web processing apparatus with at least one web guide control unit as described herein is provided. A method for guiding a web by means of the web guide control or the web processing apparatus is also disclosed.

Web guide control unit, web processing apparatus and method for operating the same

An evaporator for vaporizing an organic material to be deposited on a flexible substrate where the evaporator includes an evaporation tube having a wall encompassing a cavity for vaporizing the organic material, at least one heating device arranged adjacent to the wall and being adapted to heat the evaporation tube, and at least one nozzle assembly protruding from the evaporation tube. The nozzle assembly further comprises a nozzle cover with an opening, and a shutter for selectively opening and closing the opening of the nozzle cover. The shutter is adapted to have in operation of the evaporation tube a temperature within a shutter temperature range of 140&#xb0; C. such that the temperature of the nozzle cover is within the shutter temperature range.

Evaporator for organic materials and method for evaporating organic materials

An air-lock valve (), especially for a band processing plant, provided for closing a gap-like opening (), traversed by a flexible band substrate (), between two different plant sections, featuring at least one moveable sealing body (), cooperating with a sealing surface (), when it closes said opening (), and eventually said band substrate () is being firmly mounted between said body () and sealing surface () during the closing operation of said air-lock valve (), is characterized, according to the invention, in that the sealing surface () surrounds opening () in frame-like fashion, and in order to close opening (), said body () may be pressed in such a fashion upon sealing surface () and/or upon band substrate (), traversing said opening (), that it obstructs said opening () at least due to indirect juxtaposition at the edges of said sealing surface ().

Lock valve in particular for a strip processing unit

The invention relates to a vacuum treatment plant comprising an evaporator () for vacuum coating facilities. The evaporator () according to the invention comprises a device for guiding a supply line () movable in a gripping direction (A) and intended for gripping and positioning an evaporation boat () having a base () and further comprises two spacers () which the movable supply line () flexibly connects to the base (), with the spacers () being disposed on one side each with the movable supply line () and with the other side on the base (), thus enabling the first supply line () to be forcibly guided, and with the spacers () having such a length and configuration between the first supply line () and the base () that the guidance direction (B) is essentially parallel to the gripping direction (A) at least across a small deflection range of the spacers ().

Device for clamping and positioning an evaporator boat

A guide arrangement () for guiding webs in evacuatable web treatment installations comprises at least one guide roller () with an axis (), whose spatial position is settable. To solve the problem of compensating in modular installations with several chambers either misalignments of the chambers relative to one another and/or to avoid completely adjustable roller frames, whose adjustment would require the repositioning of treatment and coating sources and of separating gaps on the circumference of coating rollers, the invention proposes that the guide roller () is supported between two pivot bearings (), of which at least one is adjustable relative to the other transversely to the axis (). This is preferably carried out thereby that the adjustable pivot bearing () comprises a slide guide (), fastened to a chamber wall (), on which a slide () with the pivot bearing () is guided, and that the adjustable pivot bearing () comprises a remotely operated adjustment drive ().

Guide arrangement with at least on guide roller for the guidance of webs in webs treatment installations

A web coating apparatus with a vacuum chamber () has between a rear wall () and at least one removable closing plate (), housing member () with a planar cover (), and at least one guide roll () and a coating cylinder () with an axle (A) and at least one coating source (a,b,c) are arranged in the vacuum chamber (). To reduce structural height and width and to achieve an easily viewable and controllable web path while avoiding particle formation in the reach of the coating cylinder (), provision is made pursuant to the invention that the ends of the at least one guide roll () and of the coating cylinder are affixed by supporting elements (and) with bearings to the cover () and that the cavity in the vacuum chamber () under the coating cylinder () is kept free of supporting elements. At the same time it is possible to mount the at least one guide roll () and the coating cylinder () with their ends remote from the closing plate () on the rear wall (), or, alternatively, to journal the at least one guide roll () and the coating cylinder () on supporting elements in front of the rear wall () and hold it onto the cover ().

Web coating apparatus with a vacuum chamber and a coating cylinder

A measuring device includes several sequentially disposed coating chambers for measuring optical properties of coated substrates. These coating chambers are separated from one another by partitioning walls, whose free ends are located closely above the substrate. The substrate is preferably a continuous film. By measuring the reflection, the transmission, etc. of the substrate between the individual coating chambers, it becomes possible to carry out measurements within only partially completed layer systems. This yields advantages for the technical operation control of the coating process.

Measuring device for the measurement of optical properties of coated substrates

An expander roller for the wrinkle-free guidance of webs in closed chambers comprises two stationary supporting bodies () which are oriented with respect to one another at an obtuse angle in the proximity of a center plane (E&#x2014;E). On both sides of the center plane (E&#x2014;E) on the supporting bodies () are disposed roller sections () with surfaces in the form of truncated cones with shell lines (M, M) and which during their rotation pass through positions in which said shell lines (M, M) are aligned with one another. The surfaces () of the rollers are herein steplessly in line one with the other in succession and the rollers are supported via roller bearings in groups () on the two supporting bodies (). To reduce speed differences when taking off the webs, to avoid scratches on the webs and to improve the precision of guidance and smoothness of operation, the rollers on both sides of the center plane (E&#x2014;E) are each comprised of at least two roller sections () rotatable independently of one another. Before aerating the vacuum chamber, in the method for operation a gas is introduced into the bearing region through which solid bodies from the group dust and particles are blown out of the bearing region and solid bodies are prevented from penetrating into the bearing region.

Expander roller arrangement for the wrinkle-free guidance of webs

Gas is introduced prior to a flooding process of a vacuum chamber of a vacuum installation, into coverings of elements, which coverings can be ventilated such that solid bodies are blown out of said coverings thereby preventing a penetration of said solid bodies into the coverings.

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Blankenbach, Germany

Stefan Hein