International Business Machines Corporation

Woody Ray Smith

Shyng-Tsong Chen

Michael F Lofaro

John M Blondin

David J Rich

Jeffrey Jay Jones

A polishing pad assembly is described for use in a chemical-mechanical polishing apparatus having a polishing platen. The polishing pad assembly includes a first pad disposed on the platen. The first pad comprises a sealable enclosure with a flexible outer skin and partially filled with a porous material. A control is adapted to inject fluid into and to remove fluid from the enclosure. The first pad has a hardness which is variable according to an amount of fluid in the enclosure. A second pad is disposed on the first pad.

Stacked polish pad

A container system for storing and transporting sensitive components such as semiconductor chips is disclosed. The container system includes in combination, a housing and a plurality of component carriers for receiving components to be stored and transported in stacked banks. The plurality of component carriers are stacked one on top of the other in a top-to-bottom stacked arrangement within the housing. An underside bottom surface of a first component carrier provides a top cover to a second component carrier positioned immediately below the first component carrier, wherein a component carrier includes a compartmental core for storing components on a top surface thereof in segmented row compartments, each segmented row compartment having sidewall surfaces and a bottom surface. The component carrier further includes an underside surface characterized by unidirectional waves having a prescribed wave amplitude and a prescribed wave period, the wave amplitude and wave period selected for simultaneously providing a reduced surface tension to a top surface of a component part and a reduced potential for damage to protruding surface features on a top surface of the component part, respectively, the component part further for being stored in a row compartment of an underlying component carrier in the stacked arrangement.

Growing community of inventors

Essex Junction, VT, United States of America

Woody Ray Smith