Patents Examined by Joel D Crandall
  • Patent number: 11833641
    Abstract: A cleaning method capable of removing abrasive grains adhering to a light passage provided in a polishing table is disclosed. The cleaning method includes: while supplying slurry containing abrasive grains onto a polishing pad supported by a polishing table, placing a substrate in sliding contact with the polishing pad to polish the substrate; during polishing of the substrate, directing light to the substrate through a light passage provided in the polishing table, and causing reflected light from the substrate to pass through the light passage; removing the polished substrate from the polishing pad; and supplying a chemical liquid into the light passage when the substrate is not present on the polishing pad to remove the abrasive grains adhering to the light passage by the chemical liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshimitsu Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11833636
    Abstract: To measure thickness in a polishing treatment more efficiently. A substrate polishing apparatus comprises a rotatably configured polishing table provided with a sensor that outputs a signal related to a thickness, a rotatably configured polishing head that faces the polishing table, a substrate being attachable to a face of the polishing head that faces the polishing table, and a controller. The controller acquires a signal from the sensor when the sensor passes over a surface to be polished of the substrate, specifies an orbit of the sensor with respect to the substrate on a basis of a profile of the signal, calculates a thickness of the substrate at each point on the orbit on a basis of the signal, and creates a thickness map on a basis of the calculated thickness at each point on a plurality of orbits of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuhide Watanabe, Yoichi Shiokawa, Keita Yagi, Akira Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11826869
    Abstract: A sharpening tool having a handle having a variable speed switch and a support grip, a removable universal tool adapter rotatably coupled to the handle, a locking feature for locking a position of the removable universal tool adapter, and a motor for driving a tool coupled to the removable universal tool adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: EDGECRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bela Elek, Bill Hessler, George Jensen
  • Patent number: 11826873
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for removing material from the susceptor of a batch processing chamber are described. The apparatus comprises a polishing tool including a rotatable platen positioned above the susceptor. A method comprises contacting material deposited on the susceptor with the rotatable platen to remove the material from the susceptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Vijayabhaskara Venkatagiriyappa, Nitin Bhargav, Tae Kwang Lee
  • Patent number: 11826880
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses a double-station wheel deburring device consisting of two major systems. One is a wheel double-station exchange system responsible for feeding and discharging of two wheels, switching between a first working table and a second working table, switching between an upper station and a lower station, and rotation of the wheels. The other is a cutter feeding system responsible for feeding of a rim deburring blade, a riser deburring blade and brushes. The device can simultaneously remove burrs on outer rims, risers and valve holes of two wheels. Through the interactive double-station working tables, the feeding and discharging operation and the deburring operation are simultaneously carried out at separate stations. The device can be applied to deburring of wheels of different specifications. The disclosure also discloses a double-station wheel deburring method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: CITIC Dicastal Co., LTD
    Inventors: Huiying Liu, Yudong Li
  • Patent number: 11826872
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a polishing a port to dispense polishing liquid onto a polishing pad and a liquid flow controller to control a flow rate of the polishing liquid to the port, a temperature control system to control a temperature of the polishing pad, and a control system. The control system is configured to obtain a baseline removal rate, a baseline temperature and a baseline polishing liquid flow rate. A function is stored relating removal rate to polishing liquid flow rate and temperature. The function is used to determine a reduced polishing liquid flow rate and an adjusted temperature such that a resulting removal rate is not below the baseline removal rate. The liquid flow controller is controlled to dispense the polishing liquid at the reduced polishing liquid flow rate and control the temperature control system so that the polishing process reaches the adjusted temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Jianshe Tang, Brian J. Brown, Shih-Haur Shen, Shou-Sung Chang, Hari Soundararajan
  • Patent number: 11826871
    Abstract: A pad-temperature regulating device is disclosed, which can improve a responsiveness of a control for a surface temperature of a polishing pad and regulate the surface temperature of the polishing pad without causing defects, such as scratches, on the substrate. The pad-temperature regulating apparatus includes: a heat exchanger disposed above the polishing pad, whose temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature; a pad-temperature measuring device configured to measure the surface temperature of the polishing pad; a distance sensor configured to measure a separation distance between the polishing pad and the heat exchanger; an elevating mechanism for moving the heat exchanger vertically with respect to the polishing pad; and a controller configured to control operation of the elevating mechanism based on measured values of the pad-temperature measuring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Uozumi, Toru Maruyama
  • Patent number: 11826870
    Abstract: Provided is a double-side polishing apparatus and a double-side polishing method for a work which make it possible to terminate double-side polishing with timing allowing a work having been polished to have a target shape. A computing unit performs a step of grouping the data of thicknesses on a work basis; a step of extracting shape components of each work; a step of identifying a position of each of the shape components in the work radial direction; a step of computing a shape distribution of the work; a step of obtaining a shape index of the work; and a step of determining timing at which the obtained shape index becomes a set value of the shape index, determined based on a difference between a target value and an actual value of the shape index in the previous batch, as timing of termination of the double-side polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mami Kubota, Keiichi Takanashi
  • Patent number: 11826877
    Abstract: A wheel grinder contains: a body, a work table, a vertical limitation frame, a movable adjustment portion configured to move vertically, a grinding wheel portion extending outward from the movable adjustment portion, and a motor fixed on the movable adjustment portion. The vertical limitation frame has two fixing holders, two mountings, and two first screw rods and two second screw rods which are inserted through the two mountings respectively and abut against a bottom of the movable adjustment portion. In addition, a stop cover is covered on the grinding wheel portion and includes a defining plate configured to define a connection shaft and an opening inside the defining plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Inventor: Long-Wei Wang
  • Patent number: 11819978
    Abstract: A grinding material includes a base sheet and a grinding layer overlaid on a front face side of the base sheet and including abrasive grains and a binder for the abrasive grains. The grinding layer includes the abrasive grains of a plurality of types. Of the abrasive grains of the plurality of types, provided that first abrasive grains have the largest average diameter and second abrasive grains have the second largest average diameter, the percentage of the average diameter of the second abrasive grains with respect to that of the first abrasive grains is 5-70%. The total content of the abrasive grains in the grinding layer is preferably 50-85% by volume. The content of the first abrasive grains in the grinding layer is preferably 1-25% by volume. The first abrasive grains are preferably diamond abrasive grains and the second abrasive grains are preferably alumina abrasive grains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: BANDO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Takagi, Tomoki Iwanaga, Kazuo Saito, Toshikazu Taura
  • Patent number: 11819974
    Abstract: One example provides a grinding positioning plate for a reel-type mower unit including a cutting reel having a rotational axis. The grinding positioning plate includes a main body including a pivot element having a pivot axis, and at least one pair of clamping assemblies, each clamping assembly to clamp to a corresponding mounting flange of the reel-type mower unit to mount the main body to reel-type mower unit such that the pivot axis is in parallel with the rotational axis and at a known horizontal distance from the rotational axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Foley United LLC
    Inventors: Gregory Veenendall, Matthew Hauser
  • Patent number: 11819977
    Abstract: An inversion mount includes an upper mounting base, a lower mounting base, and an oblique drop arm connected from the upper mounting base to the lower mounting base. The upper mounting base is configured to normally mount to a downward-facing inversion mounting surface from below. The lower mounting base includes a non-rotary main body and a rotary latch assembly. The main body includes a forward receiver configured to axially receive a mounting insert from below as a rotary item. The latch assembly includes a side latch. The side latch extends alongside the main body, and is supported for radial pivotation between an open position, in which the side latch carries the inside hook below but not underneath the forward receiver, and a latched position, in which the side latch carries the inside hook underneath the forward receiver for hooked engagement with a side pocket behind the mounting insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Sunny Muttathukunnel Thomas
  • Patent number: 11813711
    Abstract: A glass sheet polishing assembly includes a support assembly having a mounting assembly disposed thereon. The mounting assembly interconnects the glass sheet and the support assembly in an operative position during a polishing procedure. A carriage is movable relative to the support assembly in a first direction relative to the glass sheet. A polishing assembly is movable along a length of the carriage in a second transverse direction. A drive assembly is disposed and structured to define a movable driving relation with the polishing assembly and the carriage to define a continuous path of travel of the polishing assembly over a surface of the glass sheet and to successively move both the carriage and the positioning assembly relative to the support assembly in the first direction and continuously move the polishing assembly along said carriage in the second transverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Inventor: Matthew J. Hatcher
  • Patent number: 11813713
    Abstract: CMP polishing pads or layers made from a polyurethane reaction product of a reaction mixture comprising (i) a liquid aromatic isocyanate component comprising one or more aromatic diisocyanates or a linear aromatic isocyanate-terminated urethane prepolymer, and (ii) a liquid polyol component comprising a) one or more polymeric polyols, b) from 12 to 40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the liquid polyol component, of a curative mixture of one or more small chain difunctional polyols having from 2 to 9 carbon atoms, a liquid aromatic diamine, wherein the mole ratio of the total moles of hydroxyl and amino moieties in the liquid polyol, small chain difunctional polyols and liquid aromatic diamine to mole of isocyanate in the aromatic diisocyanates or linear aromatic isocyanate-terminated urethane prepolymer ranges from 1.0:1.0 to 1.15:1.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan E. Barton, Teresa Brugarolas Brufau
  • Patent number: 11813717
    Abstract: A method of grinding a workpiece includes a holding step of holding the workpiece on a flat holding surface of a holding table and a grinding step of rotating a grinding wheel to turn grindstones along an annular track while rotating the holding table, and bringing the grindstones into grinding contact with an upper surface of the workpiece to thereby grind the workpiece. The grinding step includes the step of bringing the grindstones into grinding contact with the upper surface of the workpiece in a state where the annular track is closest to the holding surface in an area between a point above a center of the holding surface and a point above an outer circumferential end of the holding surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yujiro Sudo
  • Patent number: 11813716
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a first polishing chamber, a second polishing chamber, a dry polishing chamber and a loading chamber on a turntable. The dry polishing chamber includes a polishing device on the turntable, and a chamber cover including a cover plate, an interception filter at an intake port at the cover plate, and a particle barrier connected to the cover plate. The particle barrier faces the interception filter, and is between the polishing device and the interception filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jwahyeon Kim, Sungjoon Joo, Bongsu Cho, Kyungho Ha
  • Patent number: 11806830
    Abstract: CMP polishing pads or layers made from a polyurethane reaction product of a reaction mixture comprising (i) a liquid aromatic isocyanate component comprising one or more aromatic diisocyanates or a linear aromatic isocyanate-terminated urethane prepolymer, and (ii) a liquid polyol component comprising a) one or more polymeric polyols, b) from 12 to 40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the liquid polyol component, of a curative mixture of one or more small chain difunctional polyols having from 2 to 9 carbon atoms, a liquid aromatic diamine, wherein the mole ratio of the total moles of hydroxyl and amino moieties in the liquid polyol, small chain difunctional polyols and liquid aromatic diamine to mole of isocyanate in the aromatic diisocyanates or linear aromatic isocyanate-terminated urethane prepolymer ranges from 1.0:1.0 to 1.15:1.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan E. Barton, Teresa Brugarolas Brufau
  • Patent number: 11806828
    Abstract: An output of an eddy current sensor includes an impedance component. A film thickness measuring apparatus obtains film thickness information from the impedance component. Using a non-linear function between the film thickness information and the film thickness, the film thickness is obtained from the film thickness information. When a resistance component and a reactance component of the impedance component are associated with respective axes of a coordinate system having two orthogonal coordinate axes, the film thickness information is a reciprocal of a tangent of an impedance angle which is an angle formed by a straight line connecting a point on the coordinate system corresponding to the impedance component and a predetermined reference point, and a predetermined straight line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11794302
    Abstract: A method of chemical mechanical polishing includes bringing a conductive layer of a substrate into contact with a polishing pad, supplying a polishing liquid to the polishing pad, generating relative motion between the substrate and the polishing pad, monitoring the substrate with an in-situ electromagnetic induction monitoring system as the conductive layer is polished to generate a sequence of signal values that depend on a thickness of the conductive layer, and determining a sequence of thickness values for the conductive layer based on the sequence of signal values. Determining the sequence of thickness values includes at least partially compensating for a contribution of the polishing liquid to the signal values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kun Xu, Andrew Siordia
  • Patent number: 11794304
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a wafer polishing device, which comprises a second pressure medium cavity for detecting pressure changes; a porous disc with a plurality of through holes, and its lower surface is covered with a flexible single cavity film; a conduction valve unit for conduction or isolation between the second pressure medium cavity and the third pressure medium cavity, which at least includes a conduction valve seat, a conduction valve and an elastic part. The lower end of the conduction valve seat extends into the through hole, and protrudes from the lower end face of the conduction valve seat; The conduction valve seat, the porous disc and the covered flexible single cavity membrane combined to form the third pressure medium cavity; a first pressure medium cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: HANGZHOU SIZONE ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY INC.
    Inventors: Yaomin Deng, Yuansi Yang