Importance

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Abstract

The invention relates to a method for charging and discharging a process tank. The aim of the invention is to simplify the charging and discharging of a process tank with disc-shaped substrates. To this end, the disc-shaped substrates are picked-up during charging by a gripper that comprises at least two opposite gripper elements with receiving slots facing one another. The substrates are positioned above the process tank in such a manner that they are aligned with guide slots within the process tank. The gripper is lowered so as to partially lower the substrates into the process tank until they contact a lifted substrate lifting element inside the process tank. The gripper elements are then moved apart into a position in which the substrates are no longer held but are still guided in the receiving slots and they are further lowered into the process tank by lowering the lifting element. For discharging the substrates, a gripper that comprises at least two opposite gripper elements with receiving slots facing one another is positioned above the process tank in such a manner that the guide slots in the tank and the receiving slots in the gripper elements are aligned with one another. The substrates are then lifted by the substrate lifting element and introduced into the receiving slots of the gripper elements. When a predetermined position is reached, the gripper elements are moved towards one another in order to grip the substrates and the substrates are lifted out of the process tank by lifting the gripper.

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First Claim