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:
May. 16, 2000
Filed:
Nov. 05, 1997
Linh X Can, San Jose, CA (US);
Kelvin Lum, San Francisco, CA (US);
Gregory A Appel, San Francisco, CA (US);
Aplex, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
A wafer polisher head drive includes a head drive housing; a head portion extending from the housing for mounting an unpolished wafer when the head drive housing and head portion are in a horizontal orientation; a pivot mechanism extending from the head drive housing for pivoting the head drive housing and the head portion from the horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation juxtaposed to a transverse vertical portion of a continuous rotating polishing belt; a drive in the housing for moving the head portion and a mounted wafer outwardly from the housing against the transverse vertical portion of the rotating polishing belt; and a drive in the housing for rotating the head portion and the mounted wafer. The head drive housing may be pivoted from the vertical orientation in a sweeping arc extending perpendicularly from the belt transverse vertical portion or in a swinging arc extending parallel from the belt transverse vertical portion. The pivot mechanism includes a hollow shaft connected to said head drive housing; and a motor, gearbox and a ball screw and nut assembly in driving connection between the gearbox and the hollow shaft for transversing in a direction parallel to the belt.