Ma Laboratories, Inc.

Super Light Wave Corp.

Hans Schiesser

Abraham C Ma

Paul Y Hsueh

Jack Hsu

Shyang Chang

Michael Ma

A vacuum chamber deposits thin films on a substrate by sputtering a target. The beam of atoms or ions from the target is partially blocked by a shadow or adjustable uniformity mask, reducing the deposition rate onto the substrate. The adjustable uniformity mask has several adjustable fingers. The fingers extend or retract to enlarge or reduce the size of the mask. Each finger covers a different annular region or radius of the substrate. The deposition rate at different substrate radii is thus adjustable by the fingers. Several optical beams monitor the film transmittance at different substrate radii. A transmittance profile is continually generated during deposition. As deposition proceeds, radii with a thicker film have their fingers extended to reduce their deposition rate, producing a more uniform film thickness across all radii. Motors extend or retract the individual fingers.

Adjustable shadow mask for improving uniformity of film deposition using multiple monitoring points along radius of substrate

A circuit board fabrication apparatus and method having a vibratory feeder tray is disclosed. The feeder tray is preferably of low mass and horizontally-disposed and has multiple grooves which closely fit electronic parts, and hollowed-out bottom portions, generally below the rails separating the grooves. The hollow portions significantly contribute to low mass. Almost 50% of the mass of the tray's top plate may be removed. The parts are picked up one at a time and placed at precise positions on circuit board substrates by the rotating nozzles of a pick-and-place turret. An electromagnetic coil operating below the grooves of the feeder tray smoothly and continuously advances the parts in the grooves to the region in which they are picked up by the nozzles. Additionally, a slider table supporting the vibratory feeder tray positions each groove of the feeder tray in turn at the uptake point of the turret. The feeder tray may be easily reloaded with parts while it is vibrating, thereby permitting the fabrication apparatus to run continuously for long periods. The vibratory feeder tray allows for quick delivery of the parts in a consistent orientation and, together with the slider table positioning capability and the action of the rotating turret, allows for high volume manufacture of circuit boards.

Vibratory feeder trays and synchronous mass production apparatus for

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Hans Schiesser