International Business Machines Corporation

Pieter J M Kerstens

Andrew Ching Tam

Peter Michael Baumgart

Thao Anh Nguyen

Hong S Seing

Michael Barenboim

Benjamin Karni

Peter P Chrusch

John L Sullivan

Benny Michael Harper

Jon Rowlan Shumate

A disk texturing tool is used, for example, to provide textured spots in an annular portion of both sides of a hardfile disk. Disks are moved into and out of the texturing process in cassettes, through two disk-handling stations. In each disk-handling station, a lifter raises each individual disk from the cassette. The individual disk is then transferred to a pick-and-place mechanism, which moves it to a spindle. The spindle spins and translates the disk, so that both sides of the disk are exposed to beams derived from a pulsed laser. The pick-and-place mechanism then returns the disk to the lifter, which lowers it into the cassette pocket from which it was taken. The pick-and-place mechanism simultaneously moves one disk from the lifter to the spindle and another from the spindle to the lifter. While disks are moved by the pick-and-place mechanism of one disk-handling station, a disk in the spindle of the other disk-handling station is exposed to the laser beams.

Apparatus for laser texturing disks

An inspection station for determining the characteristics of a visible overlay pattern on a ceramic substrate includes an electronic camera unit directed at each corner of the overlay pattern. The inspection station is calibrated using a calibration substrate having a known pattern, portions of which are viewed by the cameras. The cameras remain stationary during both the calibration process and during the subsequent inspection of one or more substrates. In a first version of the station, a holder holding the substrate in place is split into quadrants, which are moved with associated camera units to accommodate varying sizes of rectangular substrates. In a second version, a lens is added to increase the magnification of the optical path to the camera units.

Apparatus and method for measuring distortion of a visible pattern on a substrate by viewing predetermined portions thereof

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Boca Raton, FL, United States of America

Pieter J M Kerstens