Patents Examined by Arman Milanian
  • Patent number: 11701749
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, the platen having a recess, a flexible membrane in the recess, and an in-situ vibration monitoring system to generate a signal. The in-situ acoustic monitoring system includes a vibration sensor supported by the flexible membrane and positioned to couple to an underside of the polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Boguslaw A. Swedek, Dominic J. Benvegnu, Chih Chung Chou, Nicholas Wiswell, Thomas H. Osterheld, Jeonghoon Oh
  • Patent number: 11685016
    Abstract: A cooling device for a rotating machine has a fan assembly coupled with a backing plate. A hub, on the backing plate, secures the cooling device with a shaft. The backing plate includes one or more vents to enable air to exit the cooling device. The fan includes an opening to enable air to enter the cooling device. A chamber is formed between the fan assembly and the backing plate. During rotation, air is drawn into the opening. The air is passed into the chamber and exits through the vents to cool a work surface or working pad attached to the backing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Lake Country Tool, LLC
    Inventors: Scott S. McLain, Charles B. Kendall, III
  • Patent number: 11673224
    Abstract: Disclosed is a light transmitting member for a polishing pad. The light transmitting member has a cylindrical or truncated conical shape, and a screw thread is formed on a side portion thereof. A polishing pad includes such a light transmitting member and a substrate polishing apparatus includes such a polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Kinoshita, Sachiko Takeda, Chikako Koyama
  • Patent number: 11667014
    Abstract: A jig for a cover window may include a lower jig and an upper jig on the lower jig. The lower jig may include a mounting portion, on which a cover window is configured to be disposed, and an exhausting portion adjacent to the mounting portion. The upper jig may include a cover unit, in which an opening exposing the mounting portion is defined, and a sidewall portion, coupled to the cover unit and enclosing the lower jig. The cover unit may be spaced apart from and overlapped with the exhausting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusik Jeon, Beomgyu Choi, Jinnyoung Heo, Gyuin Shim, Dongwoon Lee
  • Patent number: 11667007
    Abstract: A polishing table holds a polishing pad. A top ring holds a semiconductor wafer. A swing arm holds the top ring. The swing arm swings around a swing center on the swing arm during polishing. An optical sensor is disposed on the polishing table and measures an optical characteristic changeable in accordance with a variation in film thickness of the semiconductor wafer. A fluid supply control apparatus determines a distance from an axis of rotation to the optical sensor when the semiconductor wafer is rotated by the top ring. An end point detection section detects a polishing end point indicating an end of polishing based on the optical characteristic measured by the optical sensor and the determined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsunori Sugiyama, Taro Takahashi, Yoichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11642704
    Abstract: A roll-type cleaning member for scrubbing and cleaning a target cleaning surface of a substrate includes a plurality of nodules formed on a surface thereof. Each nodule includes a slit which extends so as not to be parallel to the rotation direction of the roll-type cleaning member, upstream edges are formed by the slit so as to serve as edges first contacting the target cleaning surface when a cleaning surface of the nodule contacts the target cleaning surface of the substrate by the rotation of the roll-type cleaning member, and the upstream edges are provided at a plurality of positions of the cleaning surface of the nodule in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoatsu Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 11642754
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes an apparatus and a method for a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process that recycles used slurry as another slurry supply. The apparatus includes a pad on a rotation platen, a first feeder and a second feeder where each of the first and the second feeder is configured to dispense a slurry on the pad, and a flotation module configured to process a first fluid sprayed from the pad. The flotation module further includes an outlet fluidly connected to the second feeder and configured to output a second fluid, and a first tank configured to store a plurality of chemicals where the plurality of chemicals include a frother and a collector configured to chemically bond with chemicals in the first fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wen-Kuei Liu
  • Patent number: 11638977
    Abstract: An arrangement for cooling a spindle bearing or bearings of an abrading apparatus with rotating abrading members is disclosed. This is premised on arranging in a housing of the abrading apparatus conduits which extend from a spindle bearing chamber wall of the housing to an inner suction chamber wall of the housing. Via such conduits, hot air may be expelled from a spindle bearing chamber of the housing as an overpressure in front of a protruding balancer element of a rotating shaft balancer is discharged from the spindle bearing chamber via a conduit into a suction chamber. Cool air may be conveyed from a suction chamber into the spindle bearing chamber as an underpressure behind the protruding balancer element draws in air from the suction chamber via the conduit to the spindle bearing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: MIRKA LTD.
    Inventors: Stig Finnäs, Caj Nordström, Simon Bäck
  • Patent number: 11628534
    Abstract: A silicon wafer single-side polishing method that can significantly improve the stepped minute defect occurrence rate is provided. The silicon wafer single-side polishing method comprises: a first polishing step of performing polishing on one side of a silicon wafer under a first polishing condition; and a second polishing step of performing polishing on the silicon wafer under a second polishing condition in which at least one of an applied pressure and a relative speed in the first polishing condition is changed, after the first polishing step, wherein a polishing rate ratio according to the first polishing condition is higher than a polishing rate ratio according to the second polishing condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiharu Nakajima, Kazuaki Kozasa, Katsuhisa Sugimori, Syunya Kobuchi
  • Patent number: 11607767
    Abstract: The present application relates to an adjustable wheel deburring device, comprising a lower lifting-translating-overturning system, a clamping driving system, a upper lifting-moving system, a adjusting system, a brush unit and a upper deburring system, among others. The device according to the present invention in use is able to not only remove burrs at the back cavity and front of the wheel, but also automatically adjust the shape of the brush belt according to the shape of the wheel back cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: CITIC Dicastal Co., LTD
    Inventors: Guorui Wu, Bowen Xue, Jiandong Guo
  • Patent number: 11602820
    Abstract: In a polishing apparatus an optical connector polishing jig holds the MT ferrule provided at the connection end portion of the optical connector, the optical connector polishing jig includes: a cylinder base; a cylinder shaft held on the cylinder base to be capable of moving in the up-down direction; and a set block connected to an end of the cylinder shaft and having a hole into which the MT ferrule is inserted and in which fixing means for adjusting the pressing force and fixing the MT ferrule is inserted, and a surface of the fixing means that comes into contact with the MT ferrule has a protrusion that partially protrudes to apply a pressing force to the MT ferrule such that when the MT ferrule is fixed, an end surface of the MT ferrule is slightly deformed and a center portion of the end surface in a longitudinal direction swells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: NTT ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Sugita, Toshinori Kimura, Masaaki Konishi, Kenji Aoki
  • Patent number: 11577362
    Abstract: An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a platen having a surface to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad, a pad conditioner to hold a conditioning disk against the polishing surface, an in-situ polishing pad thickness monitoring system, and a controller. The controller is configured to store data associating each of a plurality of conditioner disk products with a respective threshold value, receive an input selecting a conditioner disk product from the plurality of conditioner disk products, determine a particular threshold value associated with the selected conditioner disk product, receive a signal from the monitoring system, generate a measure of a pad cut rate from the signal, and generate an alert if the pad cut rate falls beyond the particular threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Sivakumar Dhandapani, Sameer Deshpande, Jason Garcheung Fung
  • Patent number: 11565368
    Abstract: A method of removing material from a surface of an ultrasound directing element comprising a plastic material is provided. The method includes mounting the ultrasound directing element to a mounting block of a sanding apparatus. The mounting block includes an engagement member that moves from a release position to an engagement position thereby engaging the ultrasound directing element. The mounting block is moved along a base of the sanding apparatus bringing a surface of the ultrasound directing element into contact with a sanding surface. Material is removed from the surface of the ultrasound directing element using the sanding surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth P. Eldridge
  • Patent number: 11541505
    Abstract: A polishing pad is provided. The polishing pad comprises a polishing layer and a metal-containing layer. The polishing layer has a polishing surface and a backside surface opposite to each other, wherein the backside surface has a plurality of cavities. The metal-containing layer is disposed on the backside surface of the polishing layer and fills into the cavities, wherein a first contact area is between the metal-containing layer and the backside surface of the polishing layer, and the first contact area is larger than the orthogonal projection area of the polishing layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: IV Technologies CO., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Piao Wang, I-Ping Chen
  • Patent number: 11530624
    Abstract: A tool holds and axially fixes a high-pressure shaft of an aircraft engine in a state where a high-pressure turbine stage is demounted. The tool includes: a shaft end cap having an inner radius, which is adapted to a predetermined shaft diameter, the shaft end cap plugs onto a turbine-side end of the high-pressure shaft; a shaft end cap receptacle receives the shaft end cap in a radially movable manner and in an axially limited manner in a first direction; a connector is fastenable to the shaft end cap receptacle and has a shank, which is insertable into the high-pressure shaft, the connector being configured to axially secure the shaft end cap receptacle; and a spring element, which is positionally fixed with respect to the shaft end cap receptacle, the spring element being configured to apply a predetermined spring force to the shaft end cap in the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK AG
    Inventors: Jan Sassmannshausen, Eugen Roppelt
  • Patent number: 11518001
    Abstract: An abrasive disc mounting assembly for attaching an abrasive disc to a rotary motor drive. The assembly includes a backing pad with a front face and a rear surface. A tapered recess is formed in the front face and extends into the backing pad, the recess having a flat base at its inward end. A hole is formed in the recess and extends through the backing pad from the base to the rear surface. The hole is centered within the recess. A grinder spindle is sized to fit within the hole. The spindle has threads formed on one end. The assembly also includes a nut with a shape that is complementary to the shape of the recess so that the nut seats within the recess. The recess and nut include anti-rotational features that prevent one from rotating relative to the other as the nut seats within the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Weiler Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Zulauf, Richard Hopkins
  • Patent number: 11518000
    Abstract: The invention refers to a backing pad (100) for use with a hand-held or hand-guided orbital sander (10) or polisher. The backing pad (100) has a planar extension and an essentially triangular form comprising a triangular region (102), with a top surface for releasable attachment of the backing pad (100) to the sander (10) or polisher and with a bottom surface for releasable attachment of a sheet-like sanding or polishing member (132) to the backing pad (100). In order to provide for a possibility to sand or polish surfaces within narrow, cramped, tight, twisty and crooked spaces with a sander (10) or polisher having an essentially triangular backing pad (100), it is suggested that the backing pad (100) comprises at least at one of the three corners (104) of the triangular region (102) a protrusion (108) extending in the plane of the planar extension of the backing pad (100) and projecting laterally beyond the triangular region (102).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Inventor: Guido Valentini
  • Patent number: 11504514
    Abstract: A tattoo machine apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a grip adjuster, a grip guide, and a ratchet disc. The components are arranged so that the grip adjuster houses a cartridge receiver and allows for needle depth adjustment while the grip guide ensures that the needle cartridge maintains its orientation and accepts the ratchet disc which provides positive stop adjustment and prevents unwanted rotation and thus accidental adjustment of the needle depth. In use, a backstem portion of a tattoo machine grip is inserted into the receiving portion of a tattoo machine. The tattoo machine is tightened down onto the backstem of the tattoo machine grip and holds it in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: FK Irons Inc.
    Inventor: Gaston Siciliano
  • Patent number: 11498176
    Abstract: An automated tool clamping device, in particular a fully automated tool clamping device is configured for a clamping-in of at least one tool in a tool chuck by a tightening of a union nut of the tool chuck and/or for a declamping of the tool out of the tool chuck by a release of the union nut, and comprises a clamp element, which is at least configured to generate a connection, in particular a clamp connection, with the union nut of the tool chuck, and comprises a torque receiving element, which is at least configured to receive at least a large portion of a torque occurring during a tool clamping process, in particular during a tool clamping-in process and/or a tool declamping process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: E. ZOLLER GMBH & CO. KG EINSTELL-UND MESSGERÄTE
    Inventors: Alexander Zoller, Christian Pfau, Florian Huck
  • Patent number: 11478893
    Abstract: A polishing method capable of improving a spatial resolution of a film-thickness measurement without changing a measuring cycle of a film-thickness sensor and without increasing an amount of measurement data is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keita Yagi, Toshimitsu Sasaki