To provide an apparatus and a method for vacuum treatment which realize uniform temperature distribution in material to be treated to thereby realize homogeneous treatment.

The vacuum treatment apparatus includes: a stainless steel sheet 2, as the material to be treated, which is disposed in a vacuum vessel 1 having an exhauster 20 and moves between rolls 3 and 4; a mechanism such as an evaporation source 10 for applying film deposition or etching treatment to the stainless steel sheet 2; and a heating element such as a lamp heater 31, for heating the stainless steel sheet 2. A buffer plate 32 having an area larger than that of a treatment range is disposed between the stainless steel sheet 2 and the lamp heater 31, and temperature distribution can be uniformized by carrying out heating via the buffer plate 32.