Abstract: The invention provides a vacuum apparatus, which is equipped with a drive mechanism of small size and does not need a special mechanism for vacuum seals. This drive mechanism includes an air bag container 41 which is provided fixedly in an airtight vessel with one end open, an air bag 42 stored in the container, and a source for supplying high pressure gas penetrating through the air bag container 41. A part of the air bag 42 is projected from the open end of the air bag container 41 by supplying air bag 42 with a high pressure gas with a high pressure gas supply source 43, thereby moving objects in the vacuum vessel.

Abstract: The purpose of this invention is to provide a magnetron sputtering apparatus capable of attaching masks on disk substrates and capable of conducting sputtering while disk substrates are being rotated on a central axis without complicated mechanisms or complicated processes. For this purpose, in the sputtering apparatus of this invention, a magnetic field generating means is provided above a sputtering chamber 11 so as to apply magnetic field in the sputtering chamber 11 providing discharge space. A target 21 is arranged at an upper portion of sputtering chamber 11 so that the magnetic field by generated the magnetic field generating means is applied to the target. A disk transport chamber 12 is provided which is connected to the sputtering chamber 11 through an opening 32 formed in a bottom wall 30. In disk transport chamber 12, a disk pusher 34 is provided on which a disk substrate 31 is placed for depositing sputter film.

Abstract: A suction head having plural suction pads on both surfaces thereof is used to transfer a substrate of a compack disk and the like from one position to another for loading. The suction head is connected to a rotating shaft rotatable and movable in a vertical direction. The rotating shaft causes the suction head to turn over and move in an up-and-down direction. The suction pads on both surfaces of the suction head are connected to a pair of flexible pipes which are wound around the shaft and connected respectively to exhaust systems. Thus, the suction pads capture and release the substrate by suction control so as to load the same at a prescribed position. Further, a shock absorber is provided to relieve a shock upon the stoppage of the suction head in vertical and rotational reciprocating motions.

Abstract: In a sputtering apparatus comprising a film-deposition chamber having a gas-supplying pipe connected thereto, for depositing a film on the surface of a substrate to be processed, a target provided in the film-deposition chamber, a mask having an opening portion and a masking portion, the mask being provided opposing to the target in the film-deposition chamber, and holding means for holding the substrate against the mask in such a manner that the film-depositing surface of the substrate is in close contact with the mask, the improvement according to the present invention comprises a mask having exhaust passages formed in the masking portion thereof, each of exhaust passages having one end exposed to the inside of the film-deposition chamber and the other end exposed to the outside of the film-deposition chamber, the one end of each of the exhaust passages and the other end thereof being communicated with each other, but not seen through each other.

Abstract: An apparatus having a vacuum chamber is provided which comprises a vacuum chamber that can hold a pressure therein at a pressure different from the outside pressure, a load-lock chamber formed at a portion of the vacuum chamber, for transferring in and out an object between the outside and the vacuum chamber while holding the pressure in the vacuum chamber at a pressure different from the outside pressure, and a piping apparatus having valve mechanism, which performs the intake and exhaust of gas with respect to the load-lock chamber. The piping apparatus comprises a passage formed in the wall of the vacuum chamber, the passage communicating with the load-lock chamber and being exposed to the outer wall of the upper lid so as to be connected to means for inhaling and exhausting gas, valve members disposed on the outer wall, for directly opening and closing the passage, and means for actuating the valve members.