| 摘要 |
<p>A sputter coating apparatus includes at least a first sputter coating line (58) and a second sputter coating line (59). The first and second sputter coating lines may be operated in parallel with one another in certain embodiments in order to independently form coating systems and respective coated articles. However, the two coating lines may also be utilized so as to operate in series with one another to form a coated article. In the latter case, a transition zone (60) is provided between an end of the first line and an end of the second line so as to selectively couple an output of the first line to an input of the second line when it is desired to utilize the two sputter coating lines in series with one another. In such a manner, it is possible to avoid many of the inefficiencies associated with conventional sputter coating apparatuses and processes.</p> |
