Patents Examined by Marcel Dion
  • Patent number: 10213898
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of detecting and preventing grind burn from developing on a gear. The method includes performing acoustic emission testing while the gear is being ground during a grinding operation. The grinding wheel is evaluated during an eddy current test to detect material buildup on the grinding wheel which could cause grind burn. In addition, the method includes collecting swarf from the gear during the grinding operation and inspecting the swarf for an indication of grind burn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: ALLISON TRANSMISSION, INC.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Frazee, Paul Horvath
  • Patent number: 10189142
    Abstract: A method for polishing at least one wafer composed of semiconductor material that has a front side and the rear side includes performing at least one first polishing step including simultaneously polishing both front and rear sides of the at least one wafer at a process temperature between an upper polishing plate and a lower polishing plate. Each of the upper polishing and lower polishing plates is covered with a polishing pad having an inner edge and an outer edge, a hardness of at least 80° Shore A, a compressibility of less than 2.5%, and respective upper and lower surfaces that come into contact with the wafer being polished. The upper and lower surfaces form a polishing gap extending from the inner edge to the outer edge. A height of the polishing gap at the inner edge differs linearly from the height of the polishing gap at the outer edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: SILTRONIC AG
    Inventors: Klaus Roettger, Alexander Heilmaier, Leszek Mistur, Makoto Tabata, Vladimir Dutschke, Torsten Olbrich
  • Patent number: 10160092
    Abstract: Polishing pads having a polishing surface with continuous protrusions having tapered sidewalls are described. Methods of fabricating polishing pads having a polishing surface with continuous protrusions having tapered sidewalls are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Cabot Microelectronics Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Andre Lefevre, William C. Allison, Alexander William Simpson, Diane Scott, Ping Huang, Leslie M. Charns, James Richard Rinehart, Robert Kerprich
  • Patent number: 10065286
    Abstract: A polishing pad for polishing a semiconductor device and manufacturing method therefor, the polishing pad comprising a polishing layer having a polyurethane-polyurea resin foam containing substantially spherical cells, wherein an M-component of the polyurethane-polyurea resin foam has a spin-spin relaxation time T2 of 160 to 260 ?s, the polyurethane-polyurea resin foam has a storage elastic modulus E? of 1 to 30 MPa, the storage elastic modulus E? being measured at 40° C. with an initial load of 10 g, a strain range of 0.01 to 4%, and a measuring frequency of 0.2 Hz in a tensile mode, and the polyurethane-polyurea resin foam has a density D in a range from 0.30 to 0.60 g/cm3. The polishing pad remedies the problem of scratches occurring when a conventional hard (dry) polishing pad is used, which is excellent in polishing rate and polishing uniformity, and can be used for primary polishing or finish polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIBO HOLDINGS, INC.
    Inventors: Kouki Itoyama, Fumio Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 10040164
    Abstract: A drag and/or dip finishing machine has at least one workpiece holder for the releasable fastening of the workpieces to be machined and a container, disposed beneath the workpiece holder, for accommodating the grinding and/or polishing granules, wherein the workpiece holder and the container are movable relative to each other in that at least the container is rotationally driven. The container has a chamber, which extends around the whole of the periphery thereof and is fluidically connected to the inside, accommodating the grinding and/or polishing granules, of the container, at least on a lower portion thereof, the chamber being equipped with a liquid discharge unit in order to be able to discharge the machining agent from the chamber in the event of an excess of machining agent in the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: OTEC Prëzisionzfiniah GmbH
    Inventor: Helmut Gegenheimer
  • Patent number: 10016835
    Abstract: Provided is a method for grinding electrode tips such that the method is capable of detecting irregular grinding when the maximum torque does not occur. Specifically, a tip dresser includes a holder holding a cutter, a servo motor unit allowing the holder to rotate, and a controller controlling the operation of the servo motor unit. The servo motor unit outputs a torque occurrence signal to the controller when a load torque reaches a predetermined value in regular grinding of a pair of electrode tips. The controller detects irregular grinding when not receiving the torque occurrence signal within a time that corresponds to an elapsed time in the regular grinding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: KYOKUTOH CO., LTD
    Inventor: Kotaro Nakajima
  • Patent number: 10000031
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure includes providing a honeycomb body having a first contour extending between opposing first and second ends and chamfering a corner of the first end in a radial and axial direction toward the first contour to form a second contour. The method further includes removing material in an axial direction toward the second face to form a third contour, chamfering a corner of the third contour in a radial and axial direction toward the second end to form an end contour, and removing material in an axial direction toward the first face to form a fourth contour. Removing material to form the fourth contour substantially removes the second contour and the end contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventor: Kevin Eugene Elliott
  • Patent number: 9975215
    Abstract: A base for sanding machines, grinding machines or the like includes a body (10) connectable to a machine (M) or integral therewith, the body (10) being provided with at least three supports (P) arranged in such a manner that their ends (P?) lie on a plane (L) and configured in such a manner that at least one tool (T) of the machine projects at least partly beyond the plane (L) by a portion (D), the body (10) being provided with elements adapted to vary the position of the plane (L) with respect to the tool (T).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: KUNZLE & TASIN S.R.L.
    Inventor: Pasquale Mollone
  • Patent number: 9969055
    Abstract: A method and device for setting a predetermined radial gap width for rotor blades arranged in a housing of a turbomachine is provided. The method includes removing a housing part and at least partially exposing the rotor blades which are to be machined, arranging a grinding device in the region of a rotor blade which is to be machined such that the tip of the rotor blade is machined using a grinding disk of the grinding device, screening off the machining region by arranging a screening device which is formed so as to counter a release of grinding dust from the screen off machining region, providing a suction extraction such that it extracts grinding dust from the screened-off machining region and grinding the tip of the rotor blade in situ producing the radial gap width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Rolf Groppe, Michael Keller, Uwe Kirchhübel, Rolf-Dieter Woitscheck
  • Patent number: 9855638
    Abstract: A dressing apparatus capable of bringing an overall dressing surface of a dresser into uniform sliding contact with a polishing surface of a polishing pad and capable of uniformly dressing the overall polishing surface of the polishing pad is disclosed. The dressing apparatus includes a dresser configured to rub against a polishing surface to dress the polishing surface that is used for polishing a substrate, a dresser shaft that applies a load to the dresser, at least one load-applying device configured to apply a downward load to a part of a peripheral portion of the dresser, and an operation controller configured to control operation of the load-applying device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Nagai, Suguru Ogura, Kaoru Hamaura
  • Patent number: 9833876
    Abstract: Embodiments of a polishing apparatus are provided. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing pad having a polishing surface. The polishing apparatus also includes a dispensing device including a dispensing arm located over the polishing pad and a liquid nozzle disposed on the dispensing arm. The liquid nozzle is configured to dispense washing liquid onto the polishing surface along a dispensing direction. The dispensing direction has an acute angle with respect to the polishing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: I-Pin Chan
  • Patent number: 9833929
    Abstract: A cutting worktable includes a worktable body have a distal side located away from a cutting tool and a proximal side located adjacent to the cutting tool. The cutting worktable further includes a support frame assembly disposed at the proximal side of the worktable body and used to lift an object to be cut so that the object to be cut is placed on a top surface of the worktable body in an inclined posture. The support frame assembly includes a support roller for contacting the object to be cut and the worktable body is provided with a limiting structure for abutting against the object to be cut and limiting its position. The object to be cut can thus be inclined via the support frame assembly and fixed by the limiting structure. The limiting structure can be in the form of a plurality of placement grooves to achieve placement of the object to be cut at different angles relative to the cutting tool and worktable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Chevron (HK) Limited
    Inventor: Zhifeng Chen
  • Patent number: 9751184
    Abstract: An ophthalmic-lens holder (200) includes a plate (210) and three pads (250) which are mounted on the plate and rise up above the latter to offer free ends (271) via which they can bear the ophthalmic lens. At least one of the three pads is movably mounted on the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: ESSILOR INTERNATIONAL
    Inventors: Bernard Brechemier, Stephane Boutinon, David Tang
  • Patent number: 9718154
    Abstract: A method for cutting a blade root retention slot in a turbine engine disk element includes forming a precursor slot in the element. The precursor slot has first and second sidewalls and a base. A rotating bit is passed through the precursor slot to machine the base. The bit rotates about an axis off-normal to a direction of passing. A cutting performance of the rotating bit is modeled reflecting a chip trapping intensity parameter and a heat intensity parameter. At least one parameter of the bit and its passing is selected so as to avoid tool loading where removed chips/swarf stick onto the bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Changsheng Guo, Trevor S. Smith
  • Patent number: 9694464
    Abstract: An apparatus for polishing the edges and sides of granite and other stones includes a hollow rectangular base for sliding along a stone surface, a yoke mounted on the base, a disc polisher pivotally mounted in the yoke for rotation around a horizontal axis between a variety of polishing orientations, and an indexing mechanism for releasably locking the polisher in such orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Inventor: Vasile Lupsac
  • Patent number: 9666440
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus 100 includes a holding stage 4 that holds a central portion of a back surface of a substrate W, a motor M1 that rotates the holding stage 4, a front surface nozzle 36 that feeds a rinse liquid to a front surface of the substrate W, a back surface nozzle 37 that feeds the rinse liquid to a back surface of the substrate W, a rinse liquid control section 110 that feeds the rinse liquid through the back surface nozzle 37 after a preset time elapses since the start of feeding of the rinse liquid through the front surface nozzle 36 and a polishing head assembly 1A that polishes a peripheral portion of the substrate installed on the holding stage 4 after the rinse liquid control section 110 feeds the rinse liquid to the substrate W.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Nakanishi, Kenji Kodera, Nobuhiro Yanaka
  • Patent number: 9636797
    Abstract: Among other things, a method of controlling polishing during a polishing process is described. The method includes receiving a measurement of a thickness, thick(t), of a conductive layer of a substrate undergoing polishing from an in-situ monitoring system at a time t; receiving a measured temperature, T(t), associated with the conductive layer at the time t; calculating resistivity ?T of the conductive layer at the measured temperature T(t); adjusting the measurement of the thickness using the calculated resistivity ?T to generate an adjusted measured thickness; and detecting a polishing endpoint or an adjustment for a polishing parameter based on the adjusted measured thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kun Xu, Ingemar Carlsson, Boguslaw A. Swedek, Doyle E. Bennett, Shih-Haur Shen, Hassan G Iravani, Wen-Chiang Tu, Tzu-Yu Liu
  • Patent number: 9610671
    Abstract: A system, fixture and method for media finishing a cluster of airfoils are provided. The fixture may include a base having a first end and a second end, a receptacle disposed on the base and configured to receive the stator cluster, and at least one mock airfoil disposed at each of the first and second ends of the base in alignment with the airfoils of the cluster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Micah Beckman, Thomas James Raymond
  • Patent number: 9592582
    Abstract: An inner rotary retaining member has an annular outward rolling surface formed of part of a radially outward tapered surface centering on the central axis of a first rotary drive shaft. An outer rotary retaining member has an annular inward rolling surface formed of part of a radially inward tapered surface centering on the central axis of a second rotary drive shaft. The rolling surfaces are opposed to each other. A pocket that supports a workpiece such that the workpiece rotates and revolves as the retaining members rotate is formed at a portion of the carrier, the portion being positioned between the rolling surfaces. The central axis of the workpiece supported by the pocket is inclined relative to the central axis of the rotary drive shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Yonemichi
  • Patent number: 9579825
    Abstract: Methods and systems for imaging and cutting semiconductor wafers and other microelectronic device substrates are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system for singulating microelectronic devices from a substrate includes an X-ray imaging system having an X-ray source spaced apart from an X-ray detector. The X-ray source can emit a beam of X-rays through the substrate and onto the X-ray detector, and X-ray detector can generate an X-ray image of at least a portion of the substrate. A method in accordance with another embodiment includes detecting spacing information for irregularly spaced dies of a semiconductor workpiece. The method can further include automatically controlling a process for singulating the dies of the semiconductor workpiece, based at least in part on the spacing information. For example, individual dies can be singulated from a workpiece via non-straight line cuts and/or multiple cutter passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Warren M. Farnworth, Tom A. Muntifering, Paul J. Clawson