Abstract: An apparatus and a process for mass production of films by vacuum deposition comprise a substrate charging stage which is evacuated, an interconnecting stage which is positioned adjacent to said substrate charging stage and is evacuated, and a film forming stage which is removably attached to the interconnecting stage and is evacuated independently of the interconnecting stage.

Abstract: In making reflection mirrors for optics, a technique is provided for making up a reflection mirror not of a glass-system material but of metallic material, and a method for high-precision mirror-machining of a metal plate is also disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus for vacuum deposition of a thin film onto the surface of a substrate includes a vacuum container formed by a base plate, a cylindrical side wall and a top plate to accommodate at least four movable sealing caps each having a space adapted to confine a batch of substrates on a carrier of dome shape. The caps move around the center of the base plate. When the caps are stopped to cover respective openings provided through the base plate, there are established a pre-heating, a vapor depositing, a cooling and an air locking chamber, and the batch of processed substrates in the air locking chamber is moved to the outside of the apparatus without disturbing the vacuum in the container. Next, the air locking chamber, after having received a new batch of unprocessed substrates at the space of the cap thereof, is sealed from the ambient atmosphere, and all the caps are advanced one step ahead.

Abstract: Three-layer anti-reflection coatings consisting of first, second and third layers, respectively positioned from a glass base plate. The optical film thickness of the first layer and the second layer is one-half of a designed wavelength while that of the third layer is one-fourth of the same. And the relationship among the refractive index of each layer is second layer (n.sub.2) glass (n.sub.g) first layer (n.sub.1) third layer (n.sub.3). The first layer is made of a mixture of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and ZrO.sub.2.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously processing articles includes a pre-heating chamber for confining a vacuum therein provided with four openings by which an entrance chamber, two depositing chamber and an exit chamber communicate therewith individually. Each of the openings is provided with a gate valve mounted therein for covering the openings, and particularly the entrance and exit chambers serving to maintain the vacuum in the pre-heating chamber at a predetermined level while feeding unprocessed articles to and removing the processed articles from the pre-heating chamber in such a manner that the vacuum is not affected by the ambient atmosphere. The pre-heating chamber comprises a cylindrical housing in which a water-wheel-like conveyor having means for receiving and holding vacuum deposition jigs carrying articles such as optical elements is intermittently rotated to advance the vacuum deposition jigs through the pre-heating chamber.