Apparatus for vacuum treating two dimensionally extended substrates and method for manufacturing such substrates

1. A method for manufacturing two-dimensionally extended vacuum treated substrates comprising the steps of:

introducing a first horizontal substrate horizontally into a first loadlock chamber that is provided in a first loadlock and processing tower;

introducing a second horizontal substrate horizontally into a second loadlock chamber that is provided in a second loadlock and processing tower;

transporting each said first and second horizontal substrate horizontally from said first and second loadlock chambers, respectively, into a common vacuum transport chamber;

controllably moving each said first and second horizontal substrate, respectively, vertically until each is aligned with a respective first processing chamber and second processing chamber provided, respectively, in said first loadlock and processing tower and said second loadlock and processing tower;

horizontally introducing said first and second horizontal substrates into said first and second processing chambers, respectively;

treating said first and second horizontal substrates in said first processing chamber and said second processing chamber, respectively;

horizontally removing each of the first and second treated horizontal substrates, respectively, from the respective first and second processing chamber, back into said common vacuum transport chamber;

vertically transporting each said first and second treated horizontal substrate within said common vacuum transport chamber until said first treated substrate is aligned with said first or a further loadlock chamber located in said first tower, and said second treated substrate is aligned with said second or a further loadlock chamber located in said second tower;

horizontally transporting said first and second treated horizontal substrates from said common vacuum transport chamber into the respectively aligned loadlock chambers located in said first and second towers, respectively;

removing each said first and second treated horizontal substrate horizontally from the respective loadlock chamber into the ambient environment;

wherein analogous operations with respect to each of the first and second horizontal substrates are not necessarily carried out at the same time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second horizontal substrates is moved exclusively linearly in all of the recited steps.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein different treatment processes are carried out on each of the first and second horizontal substrates in the respective first and second loadlock and processing towers.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein both the first and second loadlock and processing towers, where different treatment processes are being carried out, are served by a common robot for transporting the respective first and second horizontal substrates among different chambers in each of the first and second towers, respectively.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said transport robot comprises at least one horizontal substrate support for at least one substrate which support is driven exclusively in vertical and in horizontal direction, in a respectively controlled manner.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first and said second loadlock and processing towers are arranged on opposite sides of said common vacuum chamber and facing each other.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first and said second loadlock and processing towers are arranged one next to the other on one side of said common transport chamber, said towers and said vacuum transport chamber thereby defining a U-shaped footprint.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first and said second loadlock and processing towers are arranged with respect to said common vacuum transport chamber to define a Y-shaped footprint.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first and second horizontal substrates each have an extent of at least 1 m 2 .