The invention refers to a coating device for the deposition of thin films on large area substrates comprising a process chamber, an electrode arrangement within the process chamber (2) which is adapted for generating a plasma adjacent to the electrode arrangement (4) at at least two opposing sides of the electrode arrangement, and at least two substrate holders for supporting at least two substrates (5,6) in substrate positions on opposing sides of the electrode arrangement, the electrode arrangement being located between the substrate positions and the substrates facing in the substrate positions the at least two plasma generated at the electrode arrangement, wherein the electrode arrangement comprises at least two cathodes arranged in a plane, the cathodes being able to generate a plasma at at least two sides of each cathode. The invention further refers to a method for coating substrates with thin films comprising the following steps: providing a process chamber, providing an electrode arrangement within the process chamber for generating a plasma adjacent to the electrode arrangement at at least two sides of the electrode arrangement, and providing at least two substrate holders for supporting at least a first and a second substrate, locating the substrates to be coated in first and second positions on opposing sides of the electrode arrangement so that the electrode arrangement is located between the first and second positions and the substrates facing the at least two plasma generated at the electrode arrangement, wherein a first substrate located in the first substrate holder is coated in the first position during a first coating process and a second substrate supported by the second substrate holder is coated in the second position during a second coating process, the first and second coating process are carried out one after the other.