Abstract: The present invention consists of a method for imparting asymmetry to a truncated annular wafer by either rounding one corner of the orientation flat, or rounding one corner of a notch. This novel method of rounding corners impart a visual and/or tactile asymmetry which can be utilized by a person in order to differentiate between the two different sides of the wafer. This inventive wafer design and method for making an asymmetric wafer is especially useful in the field of semiconductor technology and may be used on sapphire crystal wafers or any other class of wafer.

Abstract: A process for cold cleaving a single-crystal material such as sapphire at cryogenic temperatures includes cooling the single-crystal material to a cryogenic temperature such as, e.g., about the boiling point of nitrogen. The cooled single-crystal material may then be cleaved or divided along a plane of the single-crystal material producing sharp edged portions.

Abstract: A method for producing one or more free-standing aluminum oxide windows or laminates by using a substrate of aluminum oxide and one or more sacrificial layers that each separates one or more deposited aluminum oxide layer. The sacrificial layer may be decomposed to producing one or more a free-standing aluminum oxide windows. The free-standing windows or laminates are substantially in finished form requiring little or no post growth processing. The produced windows or laminates may be hard, scratch resistant net-shaped sapphire ready for use in cell phones, electronic devices, a tablet computer, watches, glass applications, or the like.

Abstract: The present invention consists of an x-ray goniometer which is positioned directly adjacent to processing machines used in the cutting, milling, drilling and shaping of crystal boules and crystal ingots, used in conjunction with an adjustable tilt platform capable of pitch, yaw and roll movement, to allow in-situ measurement and automatic adjustment of crystal orientation with respect to the processing machine. The goniometer may be secured to either the tool itself or a portion of the machine which is adjacent the piece to be worked. Various embodiments include an x-ray goniometer and adjustable tilt platform incorporated into a core drilling machine, wire saw, surface grinder, polishing apparatus, or orientation flat or notch grinder.

Abstract: The present invention consists of an x-ray goniometer which is positioned directly adjacent to processing machines used in the cutting, milling, drilling and shaping of crystal boules and crystal ingots, used in conjunction with an adjustable tilt platform capable of pitch, yaw and roll movement, to allow in-situ measurement and automatic adjustment of crystal orientation with respect to the processing machine. The goniometer may be secured to either the tool itself or a portion of the machine which is adjacent the piece to be worked. Various embodiments include an x-ray goniometer and adjustable tilt platform incorporated into a core drilling machine, wire saw, surface grinder, polishing apparatus, or orientation flat or notch grinder.

Abstract: A process and system may be employed to produce large, defect-free oxide crystals with high melting points which may utilize a water-cooled horizontal furnace with a hot zone design comprising multiple independently controllable heaters surrounded by a vapor shield and various layers of thermal insulation of varying thickness and composition. Raw materials such as sapphire crystals or alumina powder may be placed in a crucible or boat that may be positioned to ride on rollers. The crucible may be pulled (or pushed) through a furnace environment surrounded by a vapor shield and insulation at a controlled rate to melt and then crystallize the raw material into a sapphire crystal. The vacuum level may be controlled by a vacuum system attached to the furnace. Process parameters such as power, temperature, pulling speed (i.e.

Abstract: The invention includes an x-ray goniometer positionable directly adjacent to processing machines used in the cutting, milling, drilling and shaping of crystal boules and crystal ingots, used in conjunction with an adjustable tilt platform capable of pitch, yaw and roll movement, allowing in-situ measurement and automatic adjustment of crystal orientation with respect to the processing machine. The goniometer may be secured to the tool or a portion of the machine which is adjacent the piece to be worked. Various embodiments include an x-ray goniometer and adjustable tilt platform incorporated into a core drilling machine, saw, surface grinder, polishing apparatus, or orientation flat or notch grinder. Incorporating an x-ray goniometer and adjustable tilt platform directly into a crystal processing machine results in a decrease in overall processing time and labor, and a significant increase in precision when processing crystal ingots into a final product, such as a notched wafer.

Abstract: A system and process for inter alia coating a substrate such as glass substrate with a layer of aluminum oxide to create a scratch-resistant and shatter-resistant matrix comprised of a thin scratch-resistant aluminum oxide film deposited on one or more sides of a transparent and shatter-resistant substrate for use in consumer and mobile devices such as watch crystals, cell phones, tablet computers, personal computers and the like. The system and process may include a sputtering technique. The system and process may produce a thin window that has a thickness of about 2 mm or less, and the matrix (i.e., the combination of the aluminum oxide film and transparent substrate) may have a shatter resistance with a Young's Modulus value that is less than that of sapphire, i.e., less than about 350 gigapascals (GPa). The thin window has superior shatter-resistant characteristics.

Abstract: A system and process for inter alia coating a substrate such as glass with a layer of aluminum oxide to create a scratch-resistant and shatter-resistant matrix comprised of a thin scratch-resistant aluminum oxide film deposited on one or more sides of a transparent and shatter-resistant substrate for use in consumer and mobile devices such as watch crystals, cell phones, tablet computers, personal computers and the like. The system and process may include a reactive thermal evaporation technique. An advantage of the reactive thermal evaporation technique includes using arbitrarily high oxygen pressures, allowing for higher growth rates of aluminum oxide at the surface of the substrate and, ultimately, a less expensive process. Another advantage of this reactive thermal evaporation process is that it does not utilize electrical fields typically found in traditional reactive sputtering techniques.

Abstract: The present invention comprises of a process for lapping a high-throughput of ultra-flat wafers by utilizing a lapping apparatus containing a rotary flat, grooved polishing platen, at least two rotating pressurized heads each having a polishing wafer carrier that is adapted to receive a plurality of mounted wafers, and a plurality of concentric conditioning rings surrounding each pressurized head. The rotating pressurized heads are counterbalanced throughout the inventive process, and the lapping platen is continuously conditioned by simultaneously rotating the concentric conditioning rings over the lapping platen. This process allows continuous and controllable planarization thus allowing for a high throughput of wafers, while at the same time it prevents distortions in the lapping platen which reduces maintenance by providing continuous conditioning of the lapping platen.

Abstract: A process to make atomically sharp cutting devices is described. The process may provide for a cost effective and efficient technique of producing the atomically sharp cutting devices made from single crystal material such as, for example, sapphire, silicon carbide, silicon, and the like. The process may include identifying and choosing a preferred geometric orientation of the crystal material where cleavage can be promoted along a preferred natural plane of the single crystal material, thus ultimately producing an atomically sharp edge. The single crystal material may be covered at select surface locations by a photo-resist material arranged in a predetermined alignment with reference to the preferred plane to prevent etching at unexposed surface portions while permitting etching at exposed surface portions of the single crystal material. An atomic edge may be created by physical cleaving once the etching has reached a predetermined end-point.

Abstract: The present invention consists of a method for imparting asymmetry to a truncated annular wafer by either rounding one corner of the orientation flat, or rounding one corner of a notch. This novel method of rounding corners impart a visual and/or tactile asymmetry which can be utilized by a person in order to differentiate between the two different sides of the wafer. This inventive wafer design and method for making an asymmetric wafer is especially useful in the field of semiconductor technology and may be used on sapphire crystal wafers or any other class of wafer.

Abstract: The present invention comprises of a process for lapping a high-throughput of ultra-flat wafers by utilizing a lapping apparatus containing a rotary flat, grooved polishing platen, at least two rotating pressurized heads each having a polishing wafer carrier that is adapted to receive a plurality of mounted wafers, and a plurality of concentric conditioning rings surrounding each pressurized head. The rotating pressurized heads are counterbalanced throughout the inventive process, and the lapping platen is continuously conditioned by simultaneously rotating the concentric conditioning rings over the lapping platen. This process allows continuous and controllable planarization thus allowing for a high throughput of wafers, while at the same time it prevents distortions in the lapping platen which reduces maintenance by providing continuous conditioning of the lapping platen.

Abstract: The present invention consists of a method for imparting asymmetry to a truncated annular wafer by either rounding one corner of the orientation flat, or rounding one corner of a notch. This novel method of rounding corners impart a visual and/or tactile asymmetry which can be utilized by a person in order to differentiate between the two different sides of the wafer. This inventive wafer design and method for making an asymmetric wafer is especially useful in the field of semiconductor technology and may be used on sapphire crystal wafers or any other class of wafer.

Abstract: The invention includes an x-ray goniometer positionable directly adjacent to processing machines used in the cutting, milling, drilling and shaping of crystal boules and crystal ingots, used in conjunction with an adjustable tilt platform capable of pitch, yaw and roll movement, allowing in-situ measurement and automatic adjustment of crystal orientation with respect to the processing machine. The goniometer may be secured to the tool or a portion of the machine which is adjacent the piece to be worked. Various embodiments include an x-ray goniometer and adjustable tilt platform incorporated into a core drilling machine, saw, surface grinder, polishing apparatus, or orientation flat or notch grinder. Incorporating an x-ray goniometer and adjustable tilt platform directly into a crystal processing machine results in a decrease in overall processing time and labor, and a significant increase in precision when processing crystal ingots into a final product, such as a notched wafer.

Abstract: The present invention comprises of a process for lapping a high-throughput of ultra-flat wafers by utilizing a lapping apparatus containing a rotary flat, grooved polishing platen, at least two rotating pressurized heads each having a polishing wafer carrier that is adapted to receive a plurality of mounted wafers, and a plurality of concentric conditioning rings surrounding each pressurized head. The rotating pressurized heads are counterbalanced throughout the inventive process, and the lapping platen is continuously conditioned by simultaneously rotating the concentric conditioning rings over the lapping platen. This process allows continuous and controllable planarization thus allowing for a high throughput of wafers, while at the same time it prevents distortions in the lapping platen which reduces maintenance by providing continuous conditioning of the lapping platen.

Abstract: The present invention consists of an x-ray goniometer which is positioned directly adjacent to processing machines used in the cutting, milling, drilling and shaping of crystal boules and crystal ingots, used in conjunction with an adjustable tilt platform capable of pitch, yaw and roll movement, to allow in-situ measurement and automatic adjustment of crystal orientation with respect to the processing machine. The goniometer may be secured to either the tool itself or a portion of the machine which is adjacent the piece to be worked. Various embodiments include an x-ray goniometer and adjustable tilt platform incorporated into a core drilling machine, wire saw, surface grinder, polishing apparatus, or orientation flat or notch grinder.