Abstract: A flatness measuring apparatus is adapted to measure the flatness of the surface of a plate-shaped object such as a disk in a non-contact fashion. A disk is removably held by a measuring table, with the projection of the measuring table engagedly received in a central through hole of the disk. A plurality of eddy current undulation sensors are arranged in a sensor head that is arranged so as to be able to linearly move back and forth along the measuring table. Said eddy current undulation sensors generate an eddy current in said disk and detect any undulation on the surface of said disk. A flatness map is produced for the surface of the disk based on a signal representing the position of the sensor head and on signals from the eddy current undulation sensors, and then is output to a display and/or a printer.

Abstract: A work W is rotated on a lower grinding wheel 13 provided on a work support base 11. Both surfaces of the work W are simultaneously subjected to grinding process by an upper grinding wheel 24 provided on a grinding shaft 22 of a grinding head 21 and the lower grinding wheel 13. The work W is applied with a pressure force of a primary load through the grinding shaft 22 by a piston rod 36 of a primary pneumatic cylinder 35 which is operated by a first air pressure. The work W is also applied with a pressure force of a secondary load through a lever member 43 by a piston rod 46 of the secondary pneumatic cylinder 45 which is operated by a second air pressure higher than the first air pressure. By adjusting the second air pressure, the pressure force is controlled.

Abstract: There is provided a polishing apparatus and a polishing method for use with the apparatus. The apparatus includes a lower turn table having a polishing surface on its upper surface, an upper turn table having a polishing surface on its lower surface, and in addition, an intermediate turn table having polishing surfaces on its upper and lower surfaces and interposed between the lower turn table and the upper turn table. The apparatus further includes a carrier rotating mechanism adaptable to rotate a disk-like carrier rotating on its axis while revolve the disk-like carrier around the rotational axis of the turn tables, and a table rotating mechanism for rotating the turn tables. The carriers can be prepared not only on the lower turn table but the intermediate turn table, and works can be loaded on the carriers prepared on the lower and intermediate turn tables. The works polished at a unit of machine operation is so many that productivity is improved.

Abstract: In a surface treatment apparatus for a rotating disc 10, the outer peripheries of the disc 10 are brought into contact with a pair of positioning rollers 13, 14 to position the disk 10 at the predetermined position. A first treatment roller 17 brought into contact with one of the surfaces of the disc 10 and a second treatment roller 18 brought into contact with the other surface of the disc 10 are arranged at both side of the disk 10, and the rollers 17, 18 are drive to move to come close to and away from each other. When the disk 10 is held between the rollers 17, 18, the frictional force of the rollers relative to the disc 10 is differentiated between an end and the opposite end of each of the rollers, thereby, the rotary motions of the rollers 17, 18 are transformed into a rotary motion of the disc 10 to treat the surfaces of the rotating disc.

Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting a surface of a disk comprises an indexing table having chucks for holding said disks respectively, said chucks being arranged angularly at regular intervals on the indexing table. Each of disks held by the respective chucks is moved by indexing revolution of the indexing table sequentially from a loading station where the disk is loaded onto the chuck, to an inspection station where the disk is inspected for a surface of the disk and then to an unloading station where the inspected disk is unloaded to the outside of the apparatus. The disk loaded onto a chuck at the loading station is driven to rotate until the disk gets to a predetermined rate of revolution before the disk arrives at the inspection station. The disk which has already get to the predetermined rate of revolution can be immediately inspected for the surface of the disk in the inspection station by an inspection device.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning station includes a first index table supporting thereon at least three circumferentially spaced first substrate carriers on which hard disk substrates are mounted respectively. A substrate drying station includes a second index table disposed rearward of the first index table and supporting thereon at least three circumferentially spaced second substrate carriers on which cleaned hard disk substrate are mounted, respectively. Upon rotation of the first index table, each of the first substrate carriers moves successively through a substrate mounting position, a substrate cleaning position and a substrate removing position. Likewise, upon rotation of the second index table, each of the second substrate carriers moves through a substrate mounting position, a substrate drying position and a substrate removing position.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning and then drying batches of hard disk substrates includes a substrate cleaning station and a substrate drying station. The substrate cleaning station includes a first index table supporting thereon at least three circumferentially spaced first substrate carriers on which hard disk substrates are mounted respectively. The substrate drying station includes a second index table disposed rearward of the first index table and supporting thereon at least three circumferentially spaced second substrate carriers on which cleaned hard disk substrate are mounted, respectively. Upon rotation of the first index table, each of the first substrate carriers moves successively through a substrate mounting position, a substrate cleaning position and a substrate removing position. Likewise, upon rotation of the second index table, each of the second substrate carriers moves through a substrate mounting position, a substrate drying position and a substrate removing position.

Abstract: An apparatus for grinding hard disk substrates includes a dressing unit essentially radially movable across the faces of rotating of grinding wheels for simultaneously dressing one or both of the two confronting surfaces thereof. The apparatus thus constructed is suited to fully automated grinding/dressing operations.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning and then drying batches of hard disk substrates includes a substrate cleaning station and a substrate drying station. The substrate cleaning station includes a first index table supporting thereon at least three circumferentially spaced first substrate carriers on which hard disk substrates are mounted respectively. The substrate drying station includes a second index table disposed rearward of the first index table and supporting thereon at least three circumferentially spaced second substrate carriers on which cleaned hard disk substrates are mounted, respectively. Upon rotation of the first index table, each of the first substrate carriers moves successively through a substrate mounting position, a substrate cleaning position and a substrate removing position. Likewise, upon rotation of the second index table, each of the second substrate carriers moves through a substrate mounting position, a substrate drying position and a substrate removing position.

Abstract: An apparatus capable of simultaneously polishing a plurality of hard disk substrates at the same time includes at least three substrate carriers which are rotatably disposed on an index table and which carry and transfer a plurality of hard disk substrates, are moved successively through a substrate loading station, a substrate polishing station and a substrate removing station in response to intermittent rotation of the index table.