Temptronic Corporation

Beloit Technologies, Inc.

Technic, Inc.

William M Stone

Kenneth M Cole, Sr

Robert R Lopez

Paul A Getchel

Douglas S Olsen

Henry A Lyden

Dana G Butcher

Thomas J Schey

Gerald A Guild

David Sepavich

A workpiece chuck includes an upper assembly on which can be mounted a flat workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer. A lower assembly is mountable to a base that supports the chuck. A non-constraining attachment means such as vacuum, springs or resilient washers applied to the chuck holds the upper assembly to the lower assembly, the lower assembly to the base and can hold the wafer to the top surface of the upper assembly. By holding the chuck together by non-constraining means, the chuck layers can move continuously relative to each other under expansion forces caused by temperature effects, such that mechanical stresses on the chuck and resulting deformation of the chuck and workpiece over temperature are substantially eliminated. A plurality of support members including inclined surfaces provided between an upper and lower portion of the chuck maintain the top surface of the chuck and any workpiece mounted thereon at a constant height over temperature.

Method of manufacturing a workpiece chuck

A workpiece chuck includes a thermal plate assembly which includes both heating and cooling capability. The heating element can be a resistive heater in a coiled configuration disposed in a plane. The cooling can be performed via a cooling fluid circulated through cooling tubes which are also disposed in a coiled configuration in a plane. The plane of the heating element and the cooling tubes can be the same plane, and that plane can be a center plane of the thermal plate assembly. By locating the heating and cooling in the same plane, uniform heating and cooling are achieved. Also, by locating the heating element and cooling tubes in the center of the thermal plate, distortions such as doming and dishing in the thermal plate are eliminated such that the wafer can be held extremely flat on the chuck. The heating element and cooling tubes are coiled in an interleaved fashion to provide uniform heating and cooling while allowing them to simultaneously occupy the same plane.

Wafer chuck having thermal plate with interleaved heating and cooling elements

A temperature-controlled system and method for supporting a wafer or packaged integrated circuit (IC) under test are described. The system includes a thermal platform having a top surface assembly on which the wafer or IC can be mounted. A thermal plate is located under and in thermal communication with the top surface assembly. The thermal plate is made of a porous thermally conductive material. A temperature-controlled fluid such as air enters and propagates radially through the porous material of the thermal plate. The temperature of the wafer or IC is controlled by controlling the temperature of the air passing through the thermal plate. The plate can be made of a sintered metal such as copper or a reticulated foam or a carbon or graphite foam.

Temperature-controlled thermal platform for automated testing

A workpiece chuck to support a semiconductor wafer during processing includes a thermal plate assembly which includes both heating and cooling capability. The heating element can be a resistive heater in a coiled configuration disposed in a plane. The cooling can be performed via a cooling fluid circulated through cooling tubes which are also disposed in a coiled configuration in a plane. The plane of the heating element and the cooling tubes can be the same plane, and that plane can be a center plane of the thermal plate assembly. The heating element and cooling tubes are coiled in an interleaved fashion to provide uniform heating and cooling while allowing them to simultaneously occupy the same plane. The thermal plate assembly can include a housing made of a cast material such as aluminum. The chuck also provides for interchangeable top surface assemblies used to support the workpiece chuck.

Wafer chuck having thermal plate with interleaved heating and cooling elements, interchangeable top surface assemblies and hard coated layer surfaces

Workpiece chuck with guard layer having vacuum distribution pattern

Workpiece chuck

An electroplating system includes a tank that holds an electrolytic bath solution. An anode within the tank receives a first voltage having a first potential. A substrate cathode, immersible in the solution within the tank, spaced from the anode, receives a second voltage having a second potential, opposite to that of the first potential. A shield is immersible in the solution within the tank between the anode and cathode. The level of shielding provided by the shield is variable and controllable. In one embodiment, the shield includes a conductive element that receives a third voltage having the first potential, the magnitude of the third voltage being controllable. In another embodiment, the shield includes at least one louver, the physical orientation of which is controllably adjustable. The shield is sufficiently spaced from the substrate cathode to be substantially outside an area of sparging and is fixed between the anode and cathode. In an embodiment of the electroplating system, the substrate cathode is movable in horizontal directions toward and away from the anode while the shield is stationary in such horizontal directions.

Shielding method and apparatus for use in electroplating process

A method and apparatus for controlling the tension and position of a web roll being wound from a continuous traveling web, including a pair of winding drums supporting the winding roll in a pocket, positioning a pair of rider rolls with a looped belt span therebetween above the pocket on a beam and first pressing downwardly on the winding roll with a first rider roll, thereafter with the tensioned belt spanning the rider roll and the web roll, and thereafter with the belt and both rider rolls, while controlling the tension in the belt.

Winder rider roll assembly

An apparatus and method for cross-cutting a traveling web of material, such as paper, while winding the traveling web into successive rolls of a specified diameter includes a laser, a pair of spaced adhesive applicators and energy means for activating the adhesive to change it from an essentially inert to a web adhesive state. A pair of horizontally arrayed drums support a core on which the traveling web is wound. Upstream of the core, over the lower periphery of one of the drums, the on-coming web has its drum-supported surface exposed to a transversely moveable laser which cuts the web transversely to its direction of travel. Upstream of the transversely actuated laser are a pair of adhesive applicator nozzles which are spaced in the web traveling direction and movable transversely with the laser. An energy means is mounted between the adhesive nozzles and laser to activate the adhesive sprayed by the nozzles. The traveling web can, thus, be severed by the laser and have its trailing edge glued to the web roll being wound while the leading edge of the severed web can be glued to a new core inserted in the winder between the drums.

Growing community of inventors

Lenox, MA, United States of America

William M Stone