Patents Examined by Joel D Crandall
  • Patent number: 11951588
    Abstract: An optical film-thickness measuring apparatus capable of eliminating an influence of a fluid flow on optical fiber cables when the fluid, such as pure water, is flowing through a through-hole of a polishing pad, and capable of achieving highly accurate measuring of a film thickness is disclosed. The optical film-thickness measuring apparatus includes: a light-emitting optical fiber cable coupled to a light source; a light-receiving optical fiber cable arranged to receive light reflected from the workpiece; a cable housing surrounding the light-emitting optical fiber cable and the light-receiving optical fiber cable; and a flow-passage structure defining a fluid passage adjacent to the light-emitting optical fiber cable and the light-receiving optical fiber cable. The light-emitting optical fiber cable and the light-receiving optical fiber cable are supported by at least one of the cable housing and the flow-passage structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Kinoshita, Toshifumi Kimba, Yoshikazu Kato, Yoichi Shiokawa
  • Patent number: 11951589
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad, and a controller. The polishing pad has a polishing control groove. The carrier is laterally movable by a first actuator across the polishing pad and rotatable by a second actuator. The controller synchronizes lateral oscillation of the carrier head with rotation of the carrier head such that over a plurality of successive oscillations of the carrier head such that when a first angular swath of an edge portion of the substrate is at an azimuthal angular position about an axis of rotation of the carrier head the first angular swath overlies the polishing surface and when a second angular swath of the edge portion of the substrate is at the azimuthal angular position the second angular swath overlies the polishing control groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jimin Zhang, Jianshe Tang, Brian J. Brown, Wei Lu, Priscilla Diep
  • Patent number: 11945070
    Abstract: A rocker polishing apparatus for full-aperture deterministic polishing of a planar part includes a control system, a substrate, a lifting plate, a polishing module and a measuring module. The polishing module and the measuring module are arranged on the substrate. The lifting plate is arranged between the polishing module and the measuring module. The polishing module includes a rocker mechanism, a polishing pad surface dressing mechanism, a polishing pad surface profile measuring apparatus and a continuous polishing pad mechanism. The apparatus allows the material removal rate distribution of the planar part and the surface profile of the planar part be in the normalized mirror symmetry relationship by controlling the material removal rate distribution on the surface of the planar part, thereby implementing the deterministic polishing of the planar part and ensuring the efficient convergence of the surface profile of the planar part in the polishing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: DALIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Ping Zhou, Zhichao Geng, Ying Yan, Lin Wang, Kai Wang, Dongming Guo
  • Patent number: 11945077
    Abstract: A synthetic grindstone for performing surface processing, includes: abrasive grains; binder made of a thermosetting resin material and holding the abrasive grains in a dispersed state; and filler including at least one of first filler, second filler, and third filler. The first filler has a larger average particle diameter than the abrasive grains. The second filler has electrical conductivity. The third filler is harder than a workpiece. The filler is disposed in a state of being dispersed in the binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO DIAMOND TOOLS MFG. CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kai Kyoshima, Takeshi Yagi
  • Patent number: 11938591
    Abstract: A shot blasting cabinet with adjustable impellers includes a cabinet, a plurality of impeller apparatuses, and a plurality of adjusting devices. A shot-blasting working line is defined between an inlet and an outlet of the cabinet. The impeller apparatuses are symmetrically disposed on upper and lower sides of the cabinet. Each impeller apparatus has a protective housing, a driving device, a pair of rotary plates, and a plurality of impeller blades. The driving device connects one of the rotary plates. The protective housing covers the pair of rotary plates and the impeller blades, and defines a shot-blasting exit surface. The shot-blasting exit surface communicates with an interior of the cabinet. The adjusting devices are used to adjust an angle and a distance of the shot-blasting exit surface relative to the shot-blasting working line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Inventors: Tai-An Liao, Kao-Hsiung Liao, Ping-Yuan Liao, Tsai-Ming Kuo
  • Patent number: 11938654
    Abstract: A spool of saw wire is disclosed. The saw wire is wound on the core of the spool (718). The saw wire is made of steel wire (406) wherein two or more crimp deformations are implemented. Each of said two or more crimp deformations has a crimp direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Each of the crimp directions is different from the other crimp directions. The saw wire on the spool comprises a number of elastic rotations per unit length applied in the elastic rotation direction. The spool with saw wire can give excellent processability in the sawing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: BEKAERT BINJIANG STEEL CORD CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wenxian Huang, Kurt Van Rysselberge, Igor Ruzansky
  • Patent number: 11938584
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing pad includes a surface portion of a first material. The surface portion includes a plurality of grooves. A first portion of the grooves are exposed grooves located at a surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad. A second portion of the grooves are buried grooves embedded below the surface of the chemical mechanical polishing pad, such that, during use of the chemical mechanical polishing pad, one or more of the buried grooves are exposed at the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: CMC MATERIALS LLC
    Inventors: Paul Andre Lefevre, Devin Schmitt, Jaeseok Lee, Eric S. Moyer, Holland Hodges
  • Patent number: 11938586
    Abstract: A slurry monitoring device, a CMP system and a method of in-line monitoring a slurry are provided. The slurry monitoring device incudes a slurry metrology cell, a plurality of light sources and at least one optical detector. The slurry metrology cell is configured to accommodating a slurry. The light sources are configured to emit light beams on the slurry in the slurry metrology cell. The light sources include a first light source configured to emit a first light beam having a first wavelength, and a second light source configured to emit a second light beam having a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength. The at least one optical detector is configured to detect an intensity of the light beams scattered by abrasive particles in the slurry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
    Inventors: Chwen Yu, Ting-Wen Chen, Chi Wen Kuo
  • Patent number: 11931852
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a device for cutting connection of multi-piece module electrode which includes a stand, the stand is provided with a workbench and the workbench is connected with a height adjusting device. The device further includes an angle grinding device, the angle grinding device includes a polishing shaft and an angle grinder, the angle grinder is arranged on the polishing shaft, and the angle grinding device is provided with a saw blade. According to the characteristics of the module electrode, the angle grinding device is matched with the workbench to implement simultaneous electrode disconnecting operation of multiple electrodes of the module, so that the device not only has higher efficiency and better cutting effect, but also is suitable for universal saw blades, saves the cost, and is safer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: HUNAN BRUNP EV RECYCLING CO., LTD., GUANGDONG BRUNP RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., HUNAN BRUNP RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaolin Jiang, Changdong Li
  • Patent number: 11931866
    Abstract: An abrasive tool comprises an arbor having a body formed with an internal bore, a mounting plate disposed on the arbor, a cover plate, an abrasive article disposed between the mounting plate and the cover plate, and at least one internal resilient member disposed within the internal bore of the arbor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: SAINT-GOBAIN ABRASIVES, INC., SAINT-GOBAIN ABRASIFS
    Inventor: Samuel H. Odeh
  • Patent number: 11931853
    Abstract: Generating a recipe for controlling a polishing system includes receiving a target removal profile that includes a target thickness to remove for a plurality of locations on a substrate that are angularly distributed around the substrate, and storing a first function defining a polishing rate for a zone from a plurality of pressurizable zones of a carrier head that are angularly distributed around a the carrier head. The first function defines polishing rates as a function of pressures. For each particular zone of the plurality of zones a recipe defining a pressure for the particular zone over time is calculated by calculating an expected thickness profile after polishing using the first function, and minimizing a cost function that incorporates a first term representing a difference between the expected thickness profile and a target thickness profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Lau, Charles C. Garretson, Huanbo Zhang, Zhize Zhu, Benjamin Cherian, Brian J. Brown, Thomas H. Osterheld
  • Patent number: 11931851
    Abstract: A handheld pole sander is provided including an elongate body having two ends, an electric motor electrically controlled by control electronics, and a sanding head attached via a pivot mechanism to a first end of the elongate body. The sanding head includes a hood and an output spindle projecting from the hood and rotatably driven by the electric motor. At least part of the elongate body includes a heat conductive part being at least partially made of heat conductive material. The control electronics are mounted on the elongate body adjacent to or in direct contact with the heat conductive part of the elongate body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Marek Turisin, Tim Heimrich, Petr Dusik, Pablo Garcia Ramiro
  • Patent number: 11931860
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus includes a polishing station to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate in contact with a polishing pad at the polishing station, a camera positioned to capture an image of a lower surface of a consumable part when the consumable part moves away from the polishing pad, and a controller configured to perform an image processing algorithm on the image to determine whether the consumable part is damaged. The consumable part can be a retaining ring on a carrier head, or a conditioner disk on a conditioner head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas H. Osterheld, Dominic J. Benvegnu
  • Patent number: 11931849
    Abstract: A blocking device and method for mounting a leap block to a lens by a lifting/lowering mechanism using a magnet and a wire is described comprising a blocking device housing having a guide; a movable leap block attachment part mounted on the guide of the housing; a spring having a lower end supporting the attachment part and an upper end supporting the blocking device housing, the spring pushing the attachment part downward, so that the attachment part protrudes below the lower end of the blocking device housing; a wire having one end connected to a pulley and the other end connected to the attachment part, so the wire pulling the attachment part upward when the pulley rotates; a leap block attached to the lower end of the attachment part by magnets; and a blocking arm coupled to the housing and to move the housing up and down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: HUVITZ CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dong Kun Oh, Jin Ho Kim
  • Patent number: 11931855
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to planarization of surfaces on substrates and on layers formed on substrates. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to planarization of surfaces on substrates for advanced packaging applications, such as surfaces of polymeric material layers. In one implementation, the method includes mechanically grinding a substrate surface against a polishing surface in the presence of a grinding slurry during a first polishing process to remove a portion of a material formed on the substrate; and then chemically mechanically polishing the substrate surface against the polishing surface in the presence of a polishing slurry during a second polishing process to reduce any roughness or unevenness caused by the first polishing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Han-Wen Chen, Steven Verhaverbeke, Tapash Chakraborty, Prayudi Lianto, Prerna Sonthalia Goradia, Giback Park, Chintan Buch, Pin Gian Gan, Alex Hung
  • Patent number: 11931863
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a novel sandblasting gun. The novel sandblasting gun includes a gun body. The gun body includes an air inlet port, an air outlet port and an air channel. One end of the air channel is connected to the air inlet port and the other end of the air channel is connected to the air outlet port. Further, the gun body further includes a first feed port, a second feed port and a control valve. The first feed port and the second feed port are respectively connected to the air outlet port. A spraying material can enter the air outlet port via the first feed port and the second feed port; and the control valve is configured to control opening and closing of the first feed port and the second feed port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG NAN PU PNEUMATIC COMPONENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hongda Zheng
  • Patent number: 11929256
    Abstract: A wafer processing method for processing a wafer having a chamfered portion formed at a periphery thereof includes a tape attaching step of attaching a protective tape to a front surface of the wafer and making a diameter of the protective tape coincide with a diameter of the wafer; a grinding step of grinding a back surface of the wafer held by a holding table with use of grinding stones so as to thin the wafer to a thickness thinner than half of an original thickness, to reduce the diameter of the wafer, and to form a protruding portion where the protective tape protrudes from the wafer; and a contracting step of heating and contracting the protruding portion of the protective tape after the grinding step is carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuya Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11926018
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for polishing, comprising a polishing table configured to support and rotate a polishing pad; a holder configured to hold an object and press the object against the polishing pad; a polishing solution supply device provided with a contact member and configured to supply a polishing solution to an opening in a bottom face of the contact member in a state that the contact member comes into contact with or is adjacent to the polishing pad, thereby spreading the polishing solution on the polishing pad, the polishing solution supply device causing at least part of used polishing solution returned by rotation of the polishing pad to be dammed up by the contact member and setting the contact member either in a direction of keeping the dammed up polishing solution on the polishing pad or in a direction of discharging the dammed up polishing solution, according to an angle of the polishing solution supply device with respect to a radial direction of the polishing pad; an arm linked with
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayoshi Ito, Hisanori Matsuo, Itsuki Kobata, Takuya Moriura
  • Patent number: 11919121
    Abstract: Controlling a polishing system includes receiving from an in-situ monitoring system, for each region of a plurality of regions on a substrate being processed by the polishing system, a sequence of characterizing values for the region. For each region, a polishing rate is determined for the region, and an adjustment is calculated for at least one processing parameter. Calculation of the adjustment includes minimizing a cost function that includes, for each region, a difference between a current characterizing value or an expected characterizing value at an expected endpoint time and a target characterizing value for the region, and optimization of the cost function is subject to at least one constraint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Cherian, Sivakumar Dhandapani
  • Patent number: 11919123
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a rotatable platen to hold a polishing pad, a carrier to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad during a polishing process, and a temperature control system including a source of heated or coolant fluid and a plenum having a plurality of openings positioned over the platen and separated from the polishing pad for delivering the fluid onto the polishing pad, wherein at least some of the openings are each configured to deliver a different amount of the fluid onto the polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Surajit Kumar, Hari Soundararajan, Hui Chen, Shou-Sung Chang