Abstract: The polishing apparatus utilizes a pressure head that imparts rotary motion to a wafer to be polished during the polishing operation and is of such a structure so as to eliminate the need for the use of any bonding agent for holding the wafer in intimate contact therewith. In this apparatus, the head picks up a single, thin, flat wafer of a semiconductive material in a manually loaded pickup station, holds the wafer thereon as it is selectively moved into one of two polishing stations and then into a receiving station. The pickup and holding of the wafer on the head as it is moved from one station to another and positioned therein is accomplished with a vacuum applied to the head. Two separate polishing surfaces are used, one being for primary stock removal and the other for cosmetic or secondary polishing. Means is provided which enables the operator to selectively control the cycle time, the pressure applied to the wafer, the rate of flow of polishing agents, etc.

Abstract: The polishing apparatus utilizes a pressure head that imparts rotary motion to a wafer to be polished during the polishing operation and is of such a structure as to eliminate the need for the use of any bonding agent for holding the wafer in intimate contact therewith. In this apparatus, the head picks up a single, thin, flat wafer of a semiconductive material in a manually loaded pickup station, holds the wafer thereon as it is selectively moved into one of two polishing stations and then into a receiving station. The pickup and holding of the wafer on the head as it is moved from one station to another and positioned therein is accomplished with a vacuum applied to the head. Two separate polishing surfaces are used, one being for primary stock removal and the other for cosmetic or secondary polishing. Means is provided which enables the operator to selectively control the cycle time, the pressure applied to the wafer, the rate of flow of polishing agents, etc.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed by which a number of thin, disc-like wafers are moved in a linear path and fed into such path on a discrete basis from a supply or feeding station. The individual or discrete wafers are moved into engagement with a pair of endless belts which, in effect, define the linear path and are arranged one over the other with the facing portions of the belts being spaced apart by at least the diameter of the wafers to be interposed therebetween. As the wafers are moved through the linear path by the belts, they are moved between pairs of brushes, each of a pair being rotatably mounted on a respective side of the path for engaging and cleaning the surfaces of the wafer, the pairs of brushes extending in the direction of movement of the wafers.