Abstract: In apparatus for charging and discharging substrates, substrates are disposed in a magazine or substance store and into the pre-chamber of a high-vacuum-processing-chamber which is made as a vacuum chamber, the magazine being pushed into a housing, which at its lower side provides an opening. The housing can be deposited with the magazine onto the upper part of the wall of the lower box, an air lock plate held below an opening in the upper part of the wall taking the magazine and lowering it into a lower position by means of a pair of lifting cylinders. After this the air lock plate with the magazine and the pair of lifting cylinders are movable laterally on a conveying-slide-carriage, until the air lock plate is positioned below the passage of opening in the bottom part of the vacuum chamber. Eventually the air lock plate can be moved so far up in a vertical direction, until the magazine is disposed in the pre-chamber and until the air lock plate, which is a little bigger, closes the opening of passage.

Abstract: In an apparatus for passing a discoidal workpiece into and out of a coating chamber through a lock and for shifting the workpiece into and out of the range of a coating source, a swivelling arm is journaled for movement about a vertical axis on the top of the coating chamber. The ends of the swiveling arm have jacks bearing workpiece holding plates which transport the workpiece to an opening in the coating chamber. The workpiece holders are adapted to close off the opening from above. A turntable which can swivel about a vertical axis in the interior of the coating chamber has recesses on its top side for accommodating the workpieces. Lifting plates are journaled in these recesses and can be raised and lowered by lifting means in the bottom plate.