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:
Nov. 25, 2003
Filed:
Jul. 24, 2001
Stanislaw Kopacz, Phoenix, AZ (US);
John Lawson, Chandler, AZ (US);
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A semiconductor wafer holding assembly that secures a semiconductor wafer for wafer handling by a semiconductor processing machine. The wafer holding assembly includes a clamp ring that is mounted to a support frame and that has a wafer-engaging surface. A plurality of latch assemblies are mounted about the periphery of the clamp ring and adjacent to the wafer-engaging surface. Each latch assembly includes a latch body that carries a clamping roller assembly and a supporting roller assembly. A rolling element of the supporting roller assembly rolls along a circular path on an inclined surface on the clamp ring as the latch body is rotated through a pivot arc between an unlatched position and a latched position. Unless the latch body is positioned in the latched position, the rolling engagement between the supporting roller assembly and the inclined surface suspends the rolling element of the clamping roller assembly above the wafer surface until the latch body is in the latched position. When the latch body is in the latched position, the rolling element of each clamping roller assembly contacts the wafer surface with a clamping force sufficient to secure the semiconductor wafer in the wafer holder.