Abstract: The substrates supported in substrate holders are carried on holder carriers in a manner, that their extended surfaces are exposed to the surrounding atmosphere along an extended surface of the holder carriers. The holder carriers include an axis traverse to their extended surface. The substrates on a holder carrier are vacuum treated in a vacuum treatment chamber. This chamber communicates via a gate valve with a transfer vacuum chamber. A holder carrier with substrates in the vacuum treatment chamber is exchanged with a holder carrier carrying untreated substrates from the transfer vacuum chamber 23 by means of an exchange robot. During treatment in the vacuum treatment chamber, holder carriers with treated substrates and holder carriers with untreated substrates are exchanged in the transfer vacuum chamber through a gate valve. The transfer vacuum chamber acts as a load-lock.

Abstract: A crowbar device has a first terminal and a second terminal, the terminals being connectible to a medium to high impedance AC voltage source including a trigger circuit configured to output a trigger signal responsive to exceeding a threshold voltage across at least one trigger element of the trigger circuit; a positive-side signaling circuit and a negative-side signaling circuit configured to output a positive or a negative clamping signal, respectively, according to a positive-voltage or a negative-voltage signal, respectively, input from the trigger circuit; and a positive-side overvoltage clamping circuit and a negative-side overvoltage clamping circuit configured to control their respective semiconductor element to be in a conducting state, when the clamping signal from the corresponding signaling circuit is present, and configured to control their semiconductor element to be in a non-conducting state, when the corresponding clamping signal has not been present for a predetermined time period.

Abstract: A crowbar device has a first terminal and a second terminal, the terminals being connectible to a medium to high impedance AC voltage source including a trigger circuit configured to output a trigger signal responsive to exceeding a threshold voltage across at least one trigger element of the trigger circuit; a positive-side signaling circuit and a negative-side signaling circuit configured to output a positive or a negative clamping signal, respectively, according to a positive-voltage or a negative-voltage signal, respectively, input from the trigger circuit; and a positive-side overvoltage clamping circuit and a negative-side overvoltage clamping circuit configured to control their respective semiconductor element to be in a conducting state, when the clamping signal from the corresponding signaling circuit is present, and configured to control their semiconductor element to be in a non-conducting state, when the corresponding clamping signal has not been present for a predetermined time period.