| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of reducing the number of vacuum pumps to be used at a low cost, without impairing a function of providing a pressure difference between spaces to be communicated with each other.SOLUTION: In first spaces 11b, 11d, an object S to be processed is subjected to the predetermined evacuation, and second spaces 11a, 11c, 11e are adjacent to the first spaces. A pressure difference is provided between the first and second spaces which are communicated with each other so as to perform gas atmosphere separation. In this condition, there are provided vacuum pumps TMP1, TMP2 which are connected to the first and second spaces, respectively, and evacuate the inside thereof. Each vacuum pump performs exhaust by compressing the gas with the pressure difference generated between the suction port and the exhaust port of the gas, and further has a connection pipe CP for connecting the exhaust port of the vacuum pump for evacuating any one of the first and second spaces at a relatively low pressure to the other. |
