Abstract: The invention provides a polishing machine and a three-chambered polishing head structure and method that improves the polishing uniformity of a substrate across the entire surface of the substrate, particularly near the edge of the substrate that is particularly beneficial to improve the uniformity of semiconductor wafers during Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP). In one aspect, the invention provides a method of controlling the polishing pressure over annular regions of the substrate, such as a wafer, in a semiconductor wafer polishing machine.

Abstract: A wafer cutting chuck for reducing wear and damage to a cutting blade. The chuck has a surface for supporting a wafer. The chuck also has a plurality of recesses in its surface to accommodate a cutting blade of a wafer spindle and blade assembly. The recesses are at least as wide as the cutting blade and they correspond to street indices on the wafer. Preferably, the chuck is constructed of a metal, a ceramic, or silicon. In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the recesses include ports which are connected to a vacuum pump. The ports allow a vacuum, created by the vacuum pump, to pull an adhesive tape from the wafer, so that the cutting blade of the wafer spindle and blade assembly does not contact the adhesive tape.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for uniformly deglazing and finishing flat and arcuate surfaces of transmission and other automotive parts. A tapered part support engages a central opening of parts from different models and manufacturers having different size openings. Smaller parts are held in place without tightening or loosening clamps. Larger parts are simply and easily stabilized by a hold down. Operation of a power tool on the working surface of the parts continually rotates the part and part support with respect to a hand held power finishing tool. Working surfaces are thereby uniformly deglazed and roughened for replacement. High productivity is provided with an inexpensive low maintenance tool that even small shops can afford.

Abstract: A workpiece surface processing apparatus capable of processing the surface of a workpiece without being limited as to the shape of the workpiece and further capable of measuring the state of polish of the workpiece with a high precision. The workpiece surface processing apparatus includes three platens 1-1 to 1-3 arranged substantially point symmetrically and being rotated in the same direction by motors 17 to 19, a carrier head 2 holding a wafer W and rotating in an opposite direction to the platens 1-1 to 1-3, a rocking mechanism 3 for making the wafer W rock in a diametrical direction of the platen 1-1 so that the entire surface of the wafer W is polished. A measuring device 4 continuously measures the state of polish of the entire surface of the wafer W.

Abstract: A carrier assembly for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) includes a retaining ring removably attached to a rigid backing plate. The backing plate provides mechanical support over the entire load bearing surface of the retaining ring. In a further aspect of the present invention, a flexure clamp ring independent of the retaining ring for removably attaching the backing plate to the carrier assembly base Is included as part of the carrier assembly.

Abstract: To provide a rotational speed adjusting device for a pneumatic rotational tool in which even if high air pressure is supplied, rotational frequency thereof does not exceed the maximum allowable rotational frequency so as to prevent occurrence of breakage of a processing tool. A speed adjusting shaft 30 is secured to one end of a rotor 26, and a speed adjusting member 32 capable of being displaced with respect to the speed adjusting shaft 30 is mounted externally of the speed adjusting shaft 30. The speed adjusting shaft 30 is provided with a ball 44 movable in a radial direction, and the speed adjusting member 32 is axially displaced with respect to the speed adjusting shaft 30 by a centrifugal force applied to the ball 44.

Abstract: A composition for chemical mechanical polishing of copper that includes 05% by volume of an etchant such as nitric acid, ammonium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, or ammonium chloride; 0.1-1% by weight of an azole selected from benzotriazole and derivations thereof that function similarly to bezotriazole in the composition; 0.1-2% by volume of a biodegradable detergent; and deionized water or a lower alkanol to make 100% by volume of the composition. The polishing method includes the step of polishing the bottom copper surface of a magnetic electronic device with the polishing composition of this invention for 5-30 minutes to obtain rms roughness of the copper surface of less than about 6 .ANG..

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus for controlling slurry distribution is disclosed. The slurry flowing through the mesh before transferring to the polishing pad, the mesh being used to distribute the slurry onto surface of the polishing pad. There are different netting densities over the mesh, achieving the purpose of controlling slurry distribution.

Abstract: A grinding wheel is disclosed with a disk-like, cylindrical shape, whose perimeter is equipped with a grinding abrasive and has at least one spiral groove. The groove extends essentially around the perimeter at an acute bevel angle of inclination less than 45.degree. to a radius line normal to the axis of wheel rotation. Preferably the bevel angle is designed as an acute angle and is sized so that the groove extends over at least one full circumference of the grinding wheel. The face of the ribs may be tapered and the corners chamfered. Multiple parallel or non-parallel grooves may be employed. Improved cutting, service life and surface characteristics of the processed workpiece are obtained.

Abstract: The useful life of a dry abrasive blasting head is greatly extended by two design features. First, the tube on which the rotating nozzles are mounted is protected from abrasion by an easily-replaced wear tube which is a sleeve-like liner. Secondly, the relatively expensive nozzle holder is protected by providing it with a cup-shaped cavity facing the incoming abrasive particles. The cup-shaped cavity soon becomes at least partially filled by the particles, so that later-arriving particles strike the particles contained in the cavity and do not directly reach the nozzle holder, thereby prolonging its life. Taken together, these structural features of the present invention result in a high-performance blasting head that can operate for more than 1,000 hours without interruption.

Abstract: An abrasive polishing pad for planarizing a substrate. In one embodiment, the abrasive polishing pad has a planarizing surface with a first planarizing region and a second planarizing region. The first planarizing region has a first abrasiveness and the second planarizing region has a second abrasiveness different than the first abrasiveness of the first region. The polishing pad preferably has a plurality of abrasive elements at the planarizing surface in at least one of the first or second planarizing regions. The abrasive elements may be abrasive particles fixedly suspended in a suspension medium, contact/non-contact regions on the pad, or other elements that mechanically remove material from the wafer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards an attachment to a trowel machine. The trowel machine attachment converts the trowel machine blade to a grinding blade and allows the trowel machine to become a grinding machine in order to smooth the concrete surface. If the concrete surface has dried to such an extent that a trowel machine will not adequately smooth the concrete surface, the attachment converts the trowel blades to grinding blades and allows the concrete to be smoothed even though it has hardened. The attachment depends directly below the trowel blade and has a grinding stone which extends directly therebelow. The attachment securely attaches to the trowel blade by receiving the blade within a reservoir and additionally has an attachment clip in order to maintain the grinding blade attachment directly to the trowel blade. The attachment of the present invention allows a trowel machine to easily and quickly be converted to a grinding machine.

Abstract: A back-up pad for pad for supporting an abrasive article. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a back-up pad having a dust collection groove, in which the engagement component for securing the abrasive article is attached to the dust collection groove surface.

Abstract: An abrasive nozzle assembly comprises a casing, a nozzle head and an abrasive nozzle mounted coaxially to generate a high-velocity abrasive airstream. The nozzle head has a cavity with a nozzle orifice. The casing includes an air passage, which communicates, at one end, with a compressed air supply tube and, at another end, with the cavity. The abrasive nozzle includes an abrasive supply tube which passes axially through the casing and cavity to terminate at the nozzle orifice. A compressed air source feeds the compressed air supply tube. An abrasive mixture source feeds the abrasive supply tube. The abrasive nozzle acts as a primary nozzle directing a narrow abrasive airstream from the center of the nozzle orifice. The nozzle head, which acts as a secondary nozzle, discharges a ring-shaped, high-velocity, abrasive-free airstream from the periphery of the nozzle orifice.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conditioning a slurry used in a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus is disclosed. Megasonic generators are provided along the piping network between a slurry reservoir and the CMP apparatus. A megasonic generator may also be placed adjacent to the slurry reservoir. The megasonic generators discourage the formation of agglomerate particles, which in turn reduces the number of defects caused by the large particles in the slurry.

Abstract: A suction device for a hand-held tool having a plate-like working tool, the section device including a hood-shaped housing covering a rear side of the tool (4) and partially a working tool circumference and connectable with a device for creating vacuum, and a protective screen (3) formed of a flexible material and extending along a circumference of a free end surface of the housing (2) and projecting axially above the free end surface, with the protective screen (3) having a plurality of slots (31) distributed along a circumferential extent of the protective screen (3) and opening toward a free end of the protective screen (3).

Abstract: A surface grinding method for a thin-plate workpiece is provided including the steps of (a) roughly surface grinding a first surface of a thin-plate workpiece using a thin-plate workpiece surface grinding device to create a reference plane having no sori or waviness; (b) inverting the thin-plate workpiece, the first surface of which has been roughly surface ground and, with a surface grinding device having a hard chucking plate, chucking the first surface to the hard chucking plate to roughly surface grind a second surface of the thin-plate workpiece; (c) chucking to the hard chucking plate the first surface of the thin-plate workpiece, the second surface of which has been roughly surface ground with the surface grinding device having the hard chucking plate to further finely surface grind the second surface of the thin-plate workpiece; and (d) inverting the thin-plate workpiece, the second surface of which has been finely surface ground and, with the surface grinding device having the hard chucking plate, ch

Abstract: The present invention provides a continuous slurry delivery system for use with a polishing apparatus employing a slurry. The continuous slurry delivery system comprises a mixing chamber, slurry component tanks, a chemical parameter sensor system, and a control system. Each of the slurry component tanks contains a different slurry component and is in fluid connection with the mixing chamber to deliver a required rate of the different slurry component to the mixing chamber. The chemical parameter sensor system is coupled to the mixing chamber and configured to sense a chemical property of the slurry. The control system is coupled to the chemical parameter sensor system and is configured to introduce at least one of the slurry components at a given rate to the mixing chamber.

Abstract: The polishing pad for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus, and a method of making the same. The polishing pad has a covering layer with a polishing surface and a backing layer which is adjacent to the platen. A first opening in the covering layer with a first cross-sectional area and a second opening in the backing layer with a second, different cross-sectional area form an aperture through the polishing pad. A substantially transparent polyurethane plug is positioned in the aperture, and an adhesive material fixes the plug in the aperture.

Abstract: The present invention relates to supported polycrystalline diamond compact cutters (PDC cutters) made under high temperature, high pressure (HT/HP) processing conditions, and more particularly to supported PDC cutters having non-planar cutting surfaces. More specifically, the present invention is for an oriented PDC cutter wherein chips and debris are funneled away from the cutting edge by a raised top surface of the polycrystalline diamond layer (PCD layer). The redirection of the debris is achieved by the creation of high and low regions on the PCD layer, of which there can be a variety of different surface geometry's. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a PDC cutter with improved performance through channeling debris away from its cutting edge.