Transport system for 9' by 12' substrates in a Laboratory vacuum deposition system.

A transport system has been built whereby a printed wiring board (PWB) panel, 22 by 30 cm (9" by 12") in size and up to 3 mm (0.12") thick, is moved in a vacuum deposition system at speeds of 1.5 to 150 cm/min (0.65 to 60 in/min). The deposition system consists of a series of sputter stations for depositing copper metal at rates of 0.1 to 1.0 micron/min(4 to 40 microin/min). The panel is suspended at the top from a bar which has wheels that roll along a support rail. The bottom of the panel is constrained within a slot defined by two guide rails. Metal shields protect the roller assembly from "line-of-sight" deposition such as is encountered in evaporation and sputtering. Smaller panels can be accommodated either by modifying the suspension system or by mounting them in a frame of the above dimensions.