Patents Examined by Joel D Crandall
  • Patent number: 11919128
    Abstract: A method for processing a ceramic honeycomb structure, the method comprising subjecting an outer peripheral surface of the ceramic honeycomb structure to centerless grinding in an in-feed mode by bringing a rotationally driving grinding wheel into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic honeycomb structure rotationally supported by an adjusting wheel, a blade, and a press roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Fukui, Yasunobu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11919124
    Abstract: The present application relates to a pad-temperature regulating apparatus for regulating a temperature of a surface of a polishing pad. The pad-temperature regulating apparatus includes a pad-contact member, a supply system for supplying a heating liquid and a cooling liquid into the pad contact member, a pad-temperature measuring device for measuring the temperature of the surface of the polishing pad, and a controller for performing a PID control of manipulated variables of a first flow control valve and a second flow control valve. The controller includes a memory in which a learned model constructed to maintain a temperature behavior curve, created based on measured values of the pad-temperature measuring device, within a predetermined allowable range, is stored; and a processing device which inputs at least one temperature behavior parameter to the learned model, and performs a calculation to output a change value of PID parameter for the PID control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toru Maruyama
  • Patent number: 11919127
    Abstract: A pole sander is provided including an elongate body including a passageway for passage of air, an electric motor, and a sanding head attached via a pivot mechanism to a first end of the elongate body. The sanding head includes a hood including a plate and a sidewall to form a chamber, an output spindle projecting from the hood and rotatably driven by the electric motor, and a tubular passage including a first end forming an opening and a second end coupled to an aperture formed through the plate. A flexible pipe is disposed between the passageway at the first end of the elongate body and the opening of the tubular passage to fluidly connect the passageway to the chamber. The tubular passage is oriented at least partially around a portion of the output spindle in a turning direction of the output spindle and extending angularly from the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Schramm, Robert Miebach, Joerg Roth, Felix Kraft, Pablo Garcia Ramiro
  • Patent number: 11911872
    Abstract: Polishing uniformity of a surface to be polished of a substrate is improved by appropriately according with a state of the surface to be polished during polishing. A substrate processing apparatus includes a table 100 for supporting a substrate WF, a pad holder 226 for holding a polishing pad 222 for polishing the substrate WF supported by the table 100, an elevating mechanism for elevating the pad holder 226 with respect to the substrate WF, a swing mechanism for swinging the pad holder 226 in a radial direction of the substrate WF, supporting members 300A and 300B for supporting the polishing pad 222 swung to outside the table 100 by the swing mechanism, and driving mechanisms 310 and 320 for adjusting at least one of a height and a distance to the substrate WF of the supporting member 300 while polishing the substrate WF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Takada, Hozumi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11911870
    Abstract: Embodiments herein generally relate to polishing pads and methods of forming polishing pads. A polishing pad includes a plurality of polishing elements. Each polishing element comprises an individual surface that forms a portion of a polishing surface of the polishing pad and one or more sidewalls extending downwardly from the individual surface to define a plurality of channels disposed between the polishing elements. Each of the polishing elements has a plurality of pore-features formed therein. Each of the polishing elements is formed of a pre-polymer composition and a sacrificial material composition. In some cases, a sample of the cured pre-polymer composition has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of about 80° C. or greater. A storage modulus (E?) of the cured pre-polymer composition at a temperature of 80° C. (E?80) can be about 200 MPa or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Sivapackia Ganapathiappan, Rajeev Bajaj, Yingdong Luo, Aniruddh Jagdish Khanna, You Wang, Daniel Redfield
  • Patent number: 11911869
    Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method for polishing substrates are provided. In one embodiment, a polishing system is provided that includes a polishing module having a platen, and a platen temperature control system. The platen temperature control system includes a PID controller, a fluid controller, and a heat exchanger. The flow controller is configured to control an amount of fluid provided from the heat exchanger to a channels of the platen in response to instructions provided by the PID controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeonghoon Oh, Jamie Stuart Leighton, Van H. Nguyen, Roger M. Johnson
  • Patent number: 11910975
    Abstract: With continued reference to FIGS. 12, 16, and 17, in other embodiments, the collision side plate 13 is provided with a light transmissive portion 132 at a position corresponding to the obstacle avoidance sensor 61, and the at least one obstacle avoidance sensor 61 is hermetically connected to the collision side plate 13. Here, the obstacle avoidance sensor 61 comprises a sensor body 601 and a packaging base 603. The packaging base 603 is hermetically connected to the package side plate, so that a sealed space 605 for accommodating the sensor body 601 is formed between the packaging base 603 and the collision side plate 13. The light transmissive portion 132 can transmit signals emitted and received by the obstacle avoidance sensor 61, and at the same time can provide a dustproof effect to avoid contamination of the sensor body 601 by external dust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: SHENZHEN SILVER STAR INTELLIGENT GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shusheng Huang, Changtai Xia, Ruijun Yan
  • Patent number: 11904432
    Abstract: A rotation controlling section of a control unit calculates a maximum thicknesswise difference in a wafer by using a noncontact thickness measuring instrument, and if the maximum thicknesswise difference exceeds a tolerance, relatively changes a rotational speed of a chuck table relative to a rotational speed of a spindle. This can shift a rotational speed ratio, which is a ratio between the rotational speed of the spindle and the rotational speed of the chuck table, from an integer. Therefore, the maximum thicknesswise difference can be made small through spark-out processing. As a result, cyclic variations in thickness value of the wafer are reduced, enabling planarization of a ground surface of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoru Fujimura, Keita Nakamura, Shinji Yamashita
  • Patent number: 11904430
    Abstract: A method includes polishing a wafer on a polishing pad, performing conditioning on the polishing pad using a disk of a pad conditioner, and conducting a heat-exchange media into the disk. The heat-exchange media conducted into the disk has a temperature different from a temperature of the polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kei-Wei Chen, Chih Hung Chen
  • Patent number: 11904437
    Abstract: An abrasive water jet cutting machine including pumping means, which can be fluidically connected to a water source, for the generation of a pressurized water flow; a cutting head, forming a mixing chamber and a focusing nozzle; a dispensing system of powdered abrasive material, including a tank containing powdered abrasive material, a feeding pipe, fluidically connecting the tank to the mixing chamber of the cutting head, a dispenser, which dispenses the powdered abrasive material contained in the tank into the mixing chamber by means of the feeding pipe; wherein the pressurized water flow originating from the pumping means is conveyed into the mixing chamber of the cutting head where the pressure energy of the pressurized water flow is converted into kinetic energy so as to form a water jet; wherein the cutting head mixes, in the mixing chamber, the abrasive material with the water jet forming a water-abrasive material mixture jet, and the cutting head dispenses the water-abrasive material mixture jet by me
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignees: POLITECNICO DI MILANO, WATAJET S.R.L.
    Inventors: Massimiliano Annoni, Francesco Vigano
  • Patent number: 11904429
    Abstract: An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of a substrate is described herein. The apparatus includes an extension disposed between a retaining ring and a chucking membrane. The extension is disposed radially outward from the edge of the substrate and is configured to contact the retaining ring during substrate processing. The extension provides a repeatable and controlled point of contact between the retaining ring and the chucking membrane. The extension may have multiple configurations, such that the contact point between the retaining ring and the chucking membrane is set at a pre-determined location or such that the contact point is moveable by an adjustable stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew Nagengast, Jay Gurusamy
  • Patent number: 11904435
    Abstract: A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility includes a high-pressure source (3) for providing (301) water at a high pressure, a high-pressure conduit (5) which is connected to the high-pressure source (3), a pressure tank for providing (303) a water-abrasive agent suspension (13) which is at a high pressure, a lock chamber (21) which is designed to temporarily be at a high pressure and temporarily at a low pressure, and a filling valve (23) for filling (311) the lock chamber when this is at a low pressure. A pump (31) at the suction side is fluid-connected to the lock chamber in a manner capable of being shut off, in a manner such that given high pressure in the lock chamber (21) the pump is shut off from this and given low pressure in the lock chamber (21) the pump is in the position of sucking an abrasive agent suspension through the filling valve (23) into the lock chamber (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: ANT Applied New Technologies AG
    Inventor: Marco Linde
  • Patent number: 11904433
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a fully automatic gemstone polishing robot. An aspect of the present disclosure provides an automatic gemstone polishing robot comprising: a gemstone polishing unit, comprising a gemstone holding unit for supporting a gemstone in contact with an abrasive surface, and configured to polish said gemstone in a plurality of iterations based on a feedback signal; an image capturing unit to capture, in one or more of the plurality of iterations, at least one image of the gemstone; and an image processing unit, which when executed by one or more processors, analyzes said at least one image of the gemstone with respect to one or a plurality of gemstone parameters, wherein the image processing unit is further configured to compare the one or a plurality of analyzed gemstone parameters with one or a plurality of pre-determined gemstone parameters to generate the feedback signal to be transmitted to the gemstone polishing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Freedom Automation Solutions LLP
    Inventor: Ivan Nikolayevich Sytenko
  • Patent number: 11904434
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a variable size wheel deburring device, which is composed of a lower lifting system, a central brush driving system, a brush system I, a brush system II and a clamping driving system. When used, the servo electric cylinder II, through the guiding rail II, causes the left and right rollers to clamp the lower wheel rim of the wheel; and the servo motor I can achieve the rotation of the clamped wheel by the pulley I, the pulley II and the synchronous belt I. The device according to the present invention in use can not only realize the burr removal of the wheel center hole, the flange root corner, the spoke edge and the rim corner, but also can adapt to wheel types of different size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: CITIC Dicastal Co., LTD
    Inventors: Xueqiang Li, Bowen Xue, Jiandong Guo
  • Patent number: 11897080
    Abstract: There is disclosed a polishing apparatus which can regulate a surface temperature of the polishing pad without causing a defect such as a scratch on a substrate such as a wafer. The polishing apparatus includes: a non-contact type pad-temperature regulating device; a pad-temperature measuring device. The pad-temperature measuring device is arranged adjacent to the pad-temperature regulating device and on a downstream side of the pad-temperature regulating device in a rotation direction of a polishing table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Kabasawa, Yasuyuki Motoshima, Hisanori Matsuo, Keisuke Kamiki
  • Patent number: 11897084
    Abstract: Apparatus, assemblies, and/or systems related to material removal are disclosed, such as saws, grinders, polishers, and/or more general material preparation and/or testing machines, for example. A material removal system may include a material removal machine that is configured to move via a material removal assembly. The material removal machine also includes a material removal tool configured to spin on a spindle at the urging of a tool actuator. The tool actuator is integrated into the material removal machine, such that the tool actuator moves along with the material removal machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Bryan John Kordus
  • Patent number: 11897087
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is provided. Another aspect pertains to a self-leveling polishing apparatus for smoothing diamonds. Yet another aspect of the present system uses a ball and swivel joint in a diamond polishing machine. A further aspect employs a polishing apparatus including a diamond-holder, an elongated arm using gravity to apply downward polishing pressure of the diamond workpiece against a polishing wheel, and a sweeping transmission to cause the holder to radially move across the rotating polishing wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignees: Board of Trustees of Michigan State University, Fraunhofer USA
    Inventors: Aaron Hardy, Timothy A. Grotjohn, Edward K. Drown, Michael Becker
  • Patent number: 11897079
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, a source of coolant, a dispenser having one or more apertures suspended over the platen to direct coolant from the source of coolant onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad; and a controller coupled to the source of coolant and configured to cause the source of coolant to deliver the coolant through the nozzles onto the polishing surface during a selected step of a polishing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Hari Soundararajan, Jianshe Tang, Shou-Sung Chang, Brian J. Brown, Yen-Chu Yang, You Wang, Rajeev Bajaj
  • Patent number: 11890717
    Abstract: A polishing system includes a platen having a top surface to support a main polishing pad. The platen is rotatable about an axis of rotation that passes through approximately the center of the platen. An annular flange projects radially outward from the platen to support an outer polishing pad. The annular flange has an inner edge secured to and rotatable with the platen and vertically fixed relative to the top surface of the platen. The annular flange is vertically deflectable such that an outer edge of the annular flange is vertically moveable relative to the inner edge. An actuator applies pressure to an underside of the annular flange in an angularly limited region, and a carrier head holds a substrate in contact with the polishing pad and is movable to selectively position a portion of the substrate over the outer polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Gurusamy, Steven M. Zuniga, Jeonghoon Oh
  • Patent number: 11890721
    Abstract: A screw rotor lead correction calculation device includes an initial data input section configured to input an error as a distance with respect to a reference lead at each axial position of a rotor groove portion of a screw rotor, and a processing machine input correction amount/position output section configured to compute and output, based on the error as the distance input to the initial data input section, a lead correction amount with respect to the reference lead and a lead correction starting position as an axial position for starting lead correction. With this configuration, correction data for obtaining a screw rotor with a high-accuracy lead can be obtained from a lead error with respect to a reference lead in a screw rotor obtained by ground finish of the material of the screw rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI-JOHNSON CONTROLS AIR CONDITIONING, INC.
    Inventors: Toshio Yamanaka, Koji Utsumi, Hisashi Aoki, Yoshiyuki Yamada, Hidetaro Kayanuma