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:
Aug. 27, 2002
Filed:
Apr. 21, 2000
Joseph L. Ritchey, Jr., Morgan Hill, CA (US);
Johann F. Adam, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Evan F. Cromwell, Redwood City, CA (US);
Toda Citron Technologies, Inc., Milpitas, CA (US);
Abstract
A washer includes driving and scrubbing rollers that press against the opposing surfaces of a substrate, which may be, e.g., a small form factor disk. The driving rollers and scrubbing rollers are approximately aligned along two different radii of the substrate that are separated by 180 degrees. The driving rollers rotate in opposite directions as do the scrubbing rollers. During the scrub cycle, the driving rollers cause the substrate to rotate, while the scrubbing rollers scrub the opposing surfaces of the substrate. Outside diameter rollers that are orthogonally positioned relative to the driving rollers and the scrubbing rollers, and which may be free spinning, contact the outside diameter of the substrate and hold the substrate in position during the scrub cycle. The substrate is loaded into the washer by lifting the substrate, via a lifting arm, to the driving and scrubbing rollers. The rotation of the driving and scrubbing rollers pulls the substrate into position with the outside diameter of the substrate in contact with the outside diameter rollers. The substrate may be unloaded by reversing the direction of rotation of the driving and scrubbing rollers and lowering the substrate away from the rollers or by separating the outside diameter rollers, which forces the substrate out from between the driving and scrubbing rollers.