Apparatus for vacuum treating two dimensionally extended substrates and method for manufacturing such substrates

Abstract

A vacuum transport chamber has a transport robot arrangement. A processing arrangement has at least one processing station communicating by at least one workpiece pass-through opening with the vacuum transport chamber. A loadlock arrangement communicates by at least one workpiece pass-through opening with an atmosphere outside the vacuum transport chamber and the processing arrangement. One single loadlock and processing tower is formed by the processing arrangement and the loadlock arrangement being arranged vertically on upon the other.

1 . An apparatus for vacuum treating two-dimensionally extended substrates, said apparatus comprising a first loadlock and processing tower, a second loadlock and processing tower, and a common vacuum transport chamber with a transport robot arrangement disposed within said vacuum transport chamber; each of said first and said second towers comprising: 
 (a) a processing arrangement with at least one processing station communicating by at least one workpiece pass-through opening with said vacuum transport chamber; and    (b) a loadlock arrangement communicating by at least one workpiece pass-through 
 opening with said vacuum transport chamber and by at least one further workpiece pass-through opening with an atmosphere outside said vacuum transport chamber and the associated processing arrangement;  
   wherein the processing arrangement and the loadlock arrangement in each of the respective first and second towers are arranged vertically, one above the other.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said transport robot comprises at least one substantially horizontal substrate support for at least one substrate, said substrate support being driven and controllably movable in vertical direction as well as in horizontal direction into alignment with said openings and into and from each of said loadlock- and processing towers.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said substrate support is additionally rotatable about a vertical axis in a controllably driven manner.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein rotational movement of said substrate support is limited to at most 180°.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein rotational movement of said substrate support is limited to at most 45°.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said transport robot comprises at least one horizontal substrate support for at least one substrate which support is driven exclusively in vertical and in horizontal direction, in a respectively controlled manner.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said processing arrangements, located in the first and second towers respectively, comprises at least one substrate-batch processing module.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said processing arrangements, located in the first and second towers respectively, comprises at least one single substrate processing module.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of one of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said loadlock arrangements, located in the first and second towers respectively, comprises an input/output loadlock arrangement.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said input/output loadlock arrangement comprises at least one single substrate input loadlock chamber.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said input/output loadlock arrangement comprises at least one single substrate output loadlock chamber.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said input/output loadlock arrangement comprises at least one of a substrate batch input loadlock chamber, a substrate batch output loadlock chamber and an input/output substrate batch loadlock chamber.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one of said loadlock and processing towers comprises one of an input and an output loadlock arrangement.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said first and said second loadlock and processing towers are arranged on opposite sides of said transport vacuum chamber and facing each other.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said first and said second loadlock and processing towers are arranged one next to the other on one side of said vacuum transport chamber, said towers and said vacuum transport chamber thereby defining a U-shaped footprint.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said first and said second loadlock- and processing towers are arranged with respect to said vacuum transport chamber to define a Y-shaped footprint.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said substrate has an extent of at least 1 m 2 .  
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each said processing arrangement comprises at least one of a treating and a coating arrangement for at least one substrate.