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: The invention relates to a wire management system for a wire saw having a cutting wire guided through a cutting area. The system comprises a wire supplying unit for supplying cutting wire to the cutting area and a wire receiving unit for receiving cutting wire from the cutting area. At least one of the wire supplying unit and the wire receiving unit comprises: at least one rotatable reservoir spool for carrying the cutting wire in overlapping windings, at least one rotatable storage spool for temporarily receiving the cutting wire in windings, wherein the rotational axis of the storage spool coincides with the rotational axis of the reservoir spool, a wire guiding means for guiding the wire when being wound up on the storage spool, such that the wire windings on the storage spool do not overlap each other and/or have a lower density than the windings on the reservoir spool.

Abstract: The invention relates to a wire management system (7) for a wire saw (8) having a cutting wire (3) which is guided through a cutting area (13), the wire management system (7) comprising a wire supplying unit (5) for supplying cutting wire (3) to the cutting area (13) of the wire saw (8) and a wire receiving unit (6) for receiving cutting wire (3) from the cutting area (13) of the wire saw (8), wherein at least one of the wire supplying unit (5) and the wire receiving unit (6) comprises: at least one rotatable reservoir spool (1) for carrying the cutting wire (3) in overlapping windings, at least one rotatable storage spool (2) for temporarily receiving the cutting wire (3) in windings, wherein the rotational axis (2b) of the storage spool (2) coincides with the rotational axis (1 b) of the reservoir spool (1), a wire guiding means (9) for guiding the cutting wire (3) when being wound up on the storage spool (2), such that the wire windings on the storage spool (2) do not overlap each other and/or have a lower

Abstract: The invention relates to a wire management system (7) for a wire saw (8) having a cutting wire (3) which is guided through a cutting area (13), the wire management system (7) comprising a wire supplying unit (5) for supplying cutting wire (3) to the cutting area (13) of the wire saw (8) and a wire receiving unit (6) for receiving cutting wire (3) from the cutting area (13) of the wire saw (8), wherein at least one of the wire supplying unit (5) and the wire receiving unit (6) comprises: at least one rotatable reservoir spool (1) for carrying the cutting wire (3) in overlapping windings, at least one rotatable storage spool (2) for temporarily receiving the cutting wire (3) in windings, wherein the rotational axis (2b) of the storage spool (2) coincides with the rotational axis (1 b) of the reservoir spool (1), a wire guiding means (9) for guiding the cutting wire (3) when being wound up on the storage spool (2), such that the wire windings on the storage spool (2) do not overlap each other and/or have a lower