According to an embodiment, a substrate holder holds a rectangular substrate and performs electrolytic plating on the substrate. The substrate holder includes a first holding member and a second holding member clamping the substrate between the first holding member and it and having a contact which contacts a peripheral part of the substrate and supplies an electric current to the substrate. The second holding member includes an opening defining a region where an electric field is formed and, at a position farther from the substrate than the opening, a shielding part protruding closer to an inner side than the opening and shielding the peripheral part of a surface of the substrate. The shielding part has a frame shape having a predetermined shielding width in the peripheral part of the substrate, and has, at a corner part thereof, a discontinuous part having a smaller shielding width than surroundings.

A substrate carrying apparatus that can reduce attachment of dust to substrates can be provided. The substrate carrying apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a carrying arm 2 for carrying a substrate, a column 32 standing up from a base body 31 with fixed angle, an upper link 33 which supports the carrying arm 2 at one end, which is rotatably connected to the column 32, and which moves the carrying arm 2 up and down in accordance with a rotation, a lower link 34 which is connected to be rotatable around an axis in parallel with a rotation axis of the upper link 33 as a center below a portion of the column 32 connected to the upper link 33, a connection link 35 which is rotatably connected to the upper link 33 and the lower link 34 so that the upper link 33 rotates in accordance with a rotation of the lower link 34, and a driving unit 4 which rotates the lower link 34.

Substrate holding hand including a base plate spreading from base toward tip end sides, part of base plate located at base end side, fixed to hand tip portion, holding position at base plate, engaging claw at part of base plate located at tip end side, engaging claw configured to engage part of edge of substrate in vertical or inclined postures, part of edge located lower than center of substrate, moving portion at base end side of holding position and configured to move toward tip end side, and plurality of rotating bodies at the moving portion, being pressed by movement against edge of substrate located lower than holding position and engaged with claw, and plurality of rotating bodies pushing substrate upward holding position while rotating along edge of substrate.

A holding device for holding a carrier or a component in a vacuum chamber is described. The holding device includes one or more electric controllable holding elements, a housing for at least partially housing the one or more electric controllable holding elements, the housing having a reception for the one or more electric controllable holding elements, a sealing for providing an air-tight sealing between the housing and the one or more electric controllable holding elements being arranged in the reception; and an air-tight connection for an electric supply line for the one or more electric controllable holding elements. Further, a method of producing a holding device, an apparatus for handling a carrier in a vacuum chamber, and a vacuum deposition system are described.

A carrier for supporting a substrate or a mask in a vacuum chamber in or parallel to a first plane is provided. The carrier comprises a clamping device for fixing the carrier to an aligning device and a mechanical motion element connecting the clamping device to the carrier, the mechanical motion element allowing for relative movement of the clamping device and the carrier for at least one degree of freedom and providing a fixed connection between the clamping device and the carrier for at least another degree of freedom.

An apparatus for carrier alignment in a vacuum chamber is described. The apparatus includes a support extending in a first direction in the vacuum chamber, a magnetic levitation system configured to transport a first carrier in the first direction in the vacuum chamber, the magnetic levitation system comprising at least one magnet unit, and an alignment system for aligning the first carrier. The at least one magnet unit and the alignment system are rigidly fixed to the support. Further, a vacuum system and a method of aligning a carrier are described.

Pallets for transporting one or more glass substrates in a substantially vertical orientation through a sputtering system. In some cases, a pallet comprising a frame with an aperture and an adjustable grid array within the aperture. The adjustable grid array is configurable to hold a plurality of glass substrates of different shapes and/or sizes. In one case, the adjustable grid array comprises a system of vertical and horizontal support bars, wherein the vertical support bars configured to both support the plurality of glass substrates at their vertical edges, wherein the horizontal support bars are configured to support the plurality of glass substrates at their horizontal edges, wherein the ends of the horizontal support bars are slideably engaged with the vertical support bars.

Disclosed is a transfer head for transferring micro-LEDs from a first substrate to a second substrate, particularly, using a vacuum adsorption method. The transfer head includes a porous member having a plurality of pores, in which the micro-LEDs are transferred by creating or releasing a vacuum pressure in the pore of the porous member.

An apparatus for contactless transportation of a device in a vacuum processing system is described. The apparatus includes: a magnetic transportation arrangement for providing a magnetic levitation force (F.sub.L) for levitating the device, the magnetic transportation arrangement comprising one or more active magnetic units; a sensor for monitoring a motion of the device, and a controller configured for controlling the one or more active magnetic units based on a signal provided by the sensor.

A method of transferring a micro device using a micro device transfer head is provided. The micro device transfer head includes a base arm, a first side arm and a second side arm, and the micro device is fabricated on a substrate. The method includes moving the first side arm within a sensing range of the micro device, charging the first side arm for drawing the micro device away from the substrate to move towards a space between the first side arm and the second side arm, and shortening a distance between the first side arm and the second side arm for clamping the micro device.