The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 08, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 15, 1996
Derek Hine, Portola Valley, CA (US);
Roger Hine, Portola Valley, CA (US);
Eric Selvik, San Francisco, CA (US);
Kenneth Lorell, Los Altos, CA (US);
Jeffrey Marical, San Mateo, CA (US);
Hine Design Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
Transport apparatus for semiconductor wafers which have been subject to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The risk of malfunction of an articulated arm fitted with a vacuum chuck can be reduced in a number of different ways. The end effector can be constructed so that it can be easily removed from the arm for cleaning and can be easily replaced in the desired position without the need for adjustment. The arm can include one or more catch chambers into which materials drawn into the vacuum chuck will be deposited, but which will not interrupt the vacuum. The near end of the vacuum passage can be coupled to a source of a cleaning fluid, so that the cleaning fluid can be passed outwards through the vacuum passage to flush out materials drawn into the vacuum passage through the chuck.