Abstract: Apparatus and methods of polishing substrates are disclosed. A retaining ring for a polishing apparatus includes an inner surface exposed to contact a peripheral edge of a substrate to be polished against a polishing surface, a bottom surface exposed to contact the polishing surface while the substrate is being polished, and a wear marker indicative of a preselected amount of wear of the bottom surface. The inner surface, bottom surface and wear marker may form part of a retaining ring used in chemical mechanical polishing operations. In one method, one or more substrates may be polished against a polishing surface using the retaining ring, and at least a portion of the retainer may be replaced when the bottom surface has been worn away by the preselected amount indicated by the wear marker.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus includes an arrangement of a plurality of units to deal with various operations and a robot having at least one arm. The plurality of units are disposed around the robot and include a loading unit for receiving thereon a, e.g. dry, workpiece to be polished, a polishing system including at least one polishing unit for polishing the workpiece, a washing system and a drying system at least including one washing unit for washing and drying the polished workpiece, and an unloading unit for receiving thereon a resultant clean and dry polished workpiece.

Abstract: An electrically-powered polisher is provided which includes a central housing having a top and a bottom and a front and a back with a rotary pad mounted adjacent to the bottom of the housing. A front handle extends horizontally outwardly from the housing front substantially parallel to the top and bottom of the housing adjacent to and above the housing bottom. A rear handle extends outward from the housing rear and extends vertically between the top and bottom of the housing. A collar is defined at the top of the housing and a male receptacle, including male prongs, is mounted therein. The male receptacle is capable of being electrically connected to a female socket head of an electrical cord supplying power to the waxer. The collar is recessed in the top of the housing with the male prongs of the receptacle extending from the housing into the collar.

Abstract: A bristle carrier for leaning a polishing apparatus comprises a number of radial slots into which sub-frames carrying bristles can be releasably mounted. The bristle carrier is used in place of a component carrier used during normal polishing, and is driven in planetary fashion over clothed polishing surfaces to clean those surfaces. The same carrier can be used, even when the bristles have to be replaced due to wear, by replacing the sub-frames having new bristles.

Abstract: An oscillating sander includes a housing and a tool holder which receives a sanding plate and sits via a rotary bearing on a rotating eccentric stem that projects from the housing and is attached flexibly against rotary entrainment on the housing by way of at least one oscillating, element. The oscillating is assembled from two hard-elastic rings, one outer ring and one inner ring, made in particular of plastic and arranged spaced apart from one another and in particular concentrically, which are coupled to one another, with minimally limited radial displaceability with respect to one another and with limited rotatability with respect to one another, via an elastic spacer element, the spacer element being made of soft plastic equipped with openings.

Abstract: Lapping or polishing at high speeds with fine abrasive particles offer significant advantages in the speed of lapping, savings of time in lapping, and smoothness in the finished articles.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) in integrated circuit processing utilizes a film measurement feedback loop for progressively optimizing the polishing pad conditioning recipe. By utilizing this invention, non-uniform pad wearing and elastic property variations are substantially corrected, and Within-Wafer-Non-Uniformity (WIWNU) is minimized.

Abstract: A slurry recycle process for use in free-abrasive machining operations such as for wire saws used in wafer slicing of ingots, where the used slurry is separated into kerf-rich and abrasive-rich components, and the abrasive-rich component is reconstituted into a makeup slurry. During the process, the average particle size of the makeup slurry is controlled by monitoring the condition of the kerf and abrasive components and making necessary adjustments to the separating force and dwell time of the separator apparatus. Related pre-separator and post separator treatments, and feedback of one or the other separator slurry output components for mixing with incoming used slurry and recirculation through the separator, provide further effectiveness and additional control points in the process.

Abstract: This invention involves a containment ring that may be used in conjunction with a substrate carrier used for polishing a substrate to give the substrate a smooth and planar surface. The containment ring is generally constructed such that it tilts independently of the substrate carrier platen that supports the substrate during polishing. The containment ring is constructed with a surface that supports a small perimeter portion of the back side of the substrate during polishing and has an enclosed area sufficient to allow the substrate to precess.

Abstract: A method of bonding together metallic glass laminations to form a stack and thereafter shaping the stack, for example, by cutting, to form a bulk object such as a wound stator or rotor of an electric motor. Metallic glass is an amorphous ferromagnetic material used in the construction of electrical equipment to reduce core losses. The method involves coating individual laminations of metallic glass with a temperature resistant, non-gas producing metal bonding agent, stacking the coated laminations, applying a pressure to the stacked laminations such that the bonding agent does not exude from between the laminations, allowing the bonding agent to cure, and thereafter shaping the stacked laminations as required. In some cases, temperature resistant wiring and insulation are fitted to the shaped laminations and heated to a temperature sufficient to anneal the metallic glass. The laminations are shaped by cutting with a mixture of fluent material and abrasive material emitted from a nozzle at high pressure.

Abstract: An improved method and device for performing setup and adjustment of pressure shoes used in an abrasive finishing machine. The setup of the pressure shoe stop limit device is performed automatically and remotely. The stop limit is hydraulically locked in place and limits subsequent shoe rotation. This automatically positionable travel limit stop takes into account the natural spring of the various machine components, including the innate springiness of the surfacing head elastic covering which wears and deforms over time. The pressure shoe is adjusted relative to the surfacing head, and accounts for the undefinable characteristics of the overall machine.

Abstract: A method for repairing a compact disc (1) damaged by a circumferential scratch (2) comprises subjecting a localized area (21) around the scratch (2) to a treatment regime comprising fifty rubbing cycles with a first abrasive sheet (10) of abrasive particle size of 1 micron. Each rubbing cycle comprises one manual radial stroke in the radial direction A and a return radial stroke in the radial direction B. After the first treatment regime if the scratch (2) has not been sufficiently removed the localized area (21) is then subjected to a similar treatment regime with a second abrasive sheet of abrasive particle size 3 microns. A further similar treatment regime is carried out using a third abrasive sheet of abrasive particle size 5 microns in the event that the second abrasive sheet did not sufficiently remove the scratch (2).

Abstract: A grinding wheel shield for a semiconductor wafer edge grinding machine formed with a flat upper surface having a central aperture therein for accommodating the grinding wheel shaft and motor of the grinding machine on which the shield is installed, an open keyway slot leading from the central aperture to an adjacent edge of the shield, a depending flange extending from at least a portion of the periphery of the upper surface, and at least one positioning member projecting from the depending flange, the shield being a unitary member machined from a single block of resilient polymeric material, and a sheet of resilient material disposed on top of the flat upper surface with an opening aligned with the central aperture of the shield and a slit extending from the opening over the keyway slot to the edge of the shield such that the sheet forms at least one flexible flap over the keyway slot.

Abstract: A ring extension is provided for use with a semiconductor wafer carrier. The ring extension has a radially inner surface, the lower portion of which contacts a peripheral edge of a wafer to confine the wafer during a polishing operation. A recess or groove is formed in the inner surface and a passageway extending through the ring extension provides pressure relief to prevent slurry build up.

Abstract: On a conventional chassis (10) forming a rigid structure there is mounted an electromotor (12) whose rotary shaft is coupled to a reducer (13) whose output end (14) is secured via suitable means to a flat (23); on this chassis (10) there is a stationary cylinder (15) on whose lateral surface (15a) there are magnets (16-17); inside (15) there is tank (18) which rotates through the action of the shaft of the reducer (13), small flanges (30) being located on the end wall (18a) of (18), a support (25) with arms (24), from which iron chains (32) hang, being arranged on the threaded column (27), the machine being intended for the polishing and cleaning of nonmagnetic materials of the type used in jewelry, such as gold, silver, alloys thereof and the like.

Abstract: An outside diameter finishing tool (10) has an outer shell (16) and an inner annular abrasive layer (22) for precision finishing the outer surfaces of generally cylindrical workpieces. The inner layer (22) of the tool (10) is made of superabrasives and defines the cutting size of the tool (10). The inner layer (22) cuts simultaneously around the full periphery of a cylindrical workpiece rotated within the tool (10). A slot (14) is provided through the tool (10) to allow for radial adjustment of the cutting size of the tool (10).

Abstract: Fluid jet cutting system with nozzle assembly having a monolithic main body with a central fluid passageway with fixed diameter intermediate fluid jet passageway with orifice component at un upper end. The upper end of a modified focus tube is positioned directly below the outlet of the fluid jet passageway such that the enlarged opening at the upper end of the focus tube forms the mixing chamber. This avoids the high cost of mixing chamber wear inserts. The enlarged upper end opening has a diameter equal to or larger than a circumferential ring contacting the external most portion of the outlet of each of the preferably 3 or 4 abrasive ports spaced about the main body. The focus tube with mixing chamber enlargement avoids efficiency degrading abrasive contact with wall surfaces of the nozzle assembly. The abrasive ports extend from an upper, sloped surface of the main body to the abrasive ports outlet with the central axis of the abrasive ports forming an acute angle of less than 15 degrees.

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus and method of processing a wafer utilizing a processing slurry are provided. The wafer processing disk comprises a processing disk body and a plurality of processing teeth secured to the processing disk body. The plurality of processing teeth project from the disk body to define respective processing surfaces. The plurality of processing teeth include at least one pair of spaced adjacent teeth defining a processing channel there between. The processing channel is shaped such that the cross sectional area of the processing channel decreases as a function of its distance from the processing disk body.

Abstract: A substrate holder assembly for forming a substantially uniformly polished substrate surface during chemical-mechanical polishing is described. The substrate holder assembly includes a carrier film having: (A) a porous layer with (i) a first surface with an outwardly protruding dome shaped region that applies pressure on at least a portion of the substrate surface during chemical-mechanical polishing and a location of the protruding dome shape is aligned with a location of an area of substrate surface that is likely to be underpolished, (ii) a second surface facing a contact surface of a backing plate; and (B) a pressure sensitive adhesive backing layer for affixing the carrier film to the contact surface of the backing plate under sufficient pressure.

Abstract: An abrasive super-finishing method for workpieces, such as metallic thin-film magnetic discs, employs a polishing/texturing material having a backing, such as synthetic resin film or woven material or non-woven cloth, and a layer which can hold abrasive grains on the backing, such as flocked fibre or a porous polymer foam, on one surface of the backing. An electrolytic solution in which abrasive grains are suspended is supplied to the polishing/texturing material to conduct polishing or texturing of the workpiece surfaces. The workpiece is connected to an anode and a pressure roller or a cathode bar is connected to a cathode. A voltage is applied between the workpiece and the pressure roller or cathode bar to conduct simultaneously electrolytic polishing and abrasive polishing/texturing.