Patents Examined by Robert A. Rose
  • Patent number: 7578727
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a conditioner device for polishing pad and a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus having the same. The conditioner device of the present invention comprises a rotable support plate including a support plate surface comprising a center area located about the rotational axis of the support plate, a mid area surrounding the center area, and a peripheral area surrounding the mid area, a plurality of conditioning zones located within a portion of the mid area of the support plate surface. A plurality of hard particles which are densely arranged within the conditioning zones and are attached to the support plate surface. A plurality of passages defined by the conditioning zones within which a slurry flows, the passages occupying a portion of the mid area which is not occupied by the conditioning zones, the center area and the peripheral area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Tae Moon, Dong-Jun Lee, Kyoung-Moon Kang, Nam-Soo Kim, Bong-Su Ahn
  • Patent number: 7419422
    Abstract: A cutting disk adapted to be mounted with a rotating shaft to form the cutting head of a cutting machine. The disk includes a plurality of plates each of generally oval shape which mount a diamond cutting element along a major radius thereof. Each disk includes a slot with an L-shaped support formed along a corner formed by a slot wall and the periphery of the disk. The generally rectangular shaped diamond cutting element is secured in the slot with first and second edges thereof exposed. The plurality of disks are arranged along the rotating shaft with the cavities forming a continuous helical groove about the cutting head. This arrangement provides that the diamond cutting elements are sequentially brought into contact with the work surface for only a short period and then separated therefrom, thereby allowing the diamond cutting elements to cool between engagements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Inventor: Mohsen Mehrabi
  • Patent number: 7374473
    Abstract: Texturing slurry for texturing a substrate for a magnetic hard disk is obtained by dispersing abrading particles of a specified kind in a specified kind of dispersant. The abrading particles include diamond clusters formed with artificial diamond particles with primary particle diameter of 20 nm or less and surrounded by impurities containing chlorine at a certain ratio. The cluster diameter and the average cluster diameter of the diamond clusters are each within a specified range. For texturing a substrate surface, the substrate is rotated, texturing slurry of this invention is supplied to the surface and a texturing tape of a specified kind is pressed against the substrate surface while it is caused to run.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: NIHON Micro Coating Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Kumasaka, Yuji Horie, Mitsuru Saito, Kazuei Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7374476
    Abstract: A planarizing pad for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, and a method and apparatus for forming the planarizing pad. In one embodiment, planarizing pad material is mixed with compressed gas to form a plurality of discrete elements that are distributed on a film support material. The film support material is supported by a liquid and is drawn from the liquid with a backing layer. At least a portion of the discrete elements are spaced apart from each other on the film support material to form a textured surface for engaging a microelectronic substrate and removing material from the microelectronic substrate. The discrete elements can be uniformly or randomly distributed on the film support material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott G. Meikle
  • Patent number: 7338351
    Abstract: A sharpening device for the blade of a tool such as a chisel or plane is in two parts. The first is a jig into which the blade is inserted with its tapered end projecting some distance beyond the jig. This distance is related to the angle to which the blade is to be sharpened. The second part is a marked reference member which is brought into a position alongside the jig. The blade is advanced through the jig until its tip reaches a marking on the reference member corresponding to the required sharpening angle for the tool. The tool is then clamped in the jig. The jig incorporates a roller which rolls on the sharpening stone while the tapered tip of the blade is sharpened by contact with the stone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Inventor: Geoffrey John Hamilton Evans
  • Patent number: 7338349
    Abstract: An apparatus for cylindrically grinding workpieces includes a first holding tool (100) for positioning pre-grinding workpieces (40) and a second holding tool (200) for positioning partially ground workpieces (i.e. workpieces which have been ground on one side only). The first holding tool (100) defines a first groove (226) for containing the pre-grinding workpieces to be partially ground and the second bonding defines a second groove (322) for containing the partially ground workpieces. At least one first resisting member (26) and at least one first back plate (24) detachably connect with the at least one first holding member (22), and thus making up the first holing tool (100). At least one second resisting member (36) and a at least one second back plate (34) detachably connect at least one second holding member (36), and thus making up the second holding tool (100). The present invention also provides a process for cylindrically grinding workpieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shih-Chieh Yen
  • Patent number: 7338345
    Abstract: A cutting machine comprising a chuck table for holding a workpiece, which is arranged such that it can move along a guide rail extending in a predetermined direction, a gate-like support frame that is arranged straddling the guide rail and has an opening for allowing the movement of the chuck table, an alignment means arranged on one flank of the gate-like support frame, and a cutting means arranged on the other flank of the gate-like support frame, wherein the cutting means is composed of an indexing-feed base arranged on the other flank of the gate-like support frame such that it can move in a direction perpendicular to the guide rail, a cutting-in feed base arranged on the indexing-feed base such that it can move in a direction perpendicular to the holding surface of the chuck table, and a spindle unit that is mounted on the cutting-in feed base and has a cutting blade, the spindle unit being arranged on the alignment means side through the opening of the gate-like support frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Disco Corporation
    Inventor: Koichi Fujinami
  • Patent number: 7335092
    Abstract: A carrier head for supporting a workpiece is provided. The carrier head comprises a mount plate having an aperture therethrough, and a clamp ring having a foot portion and a first leg portion extending therefrom. The first leg portion extends through the aperture, and the foot portion abuts the mount plate proximate the aperture. A flexible bladder has first and second ribs that are received between the mount plate and the foot portion. An annular fastener is removably coupled to the leg portion, and engages the mount plate to cause the first and second ribs to be sealingly secured between the mount plate and the foot portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Severson, John Stumpf, Stephen C. Schultz
  • Patent number: 7306510
    Abstract: The method of adhering polishing pads is capable of easily exchanging polishing pads in a comfortable posture. The method comprises the steps of: setting a pad adhering carrier, which has a through-hole in which a roller unit for pressing polishing pads is fixed, in a holder with arranging a roller unit in a radial direction of a lower polishing plate and an upper polishing plate; relatively moving the upper polishing plate toward the lower polishing plate so as to clamp the roller unit between the lower polishing plate and the upper polishing plate with a prescribed force; rotating the lower polishing plate and the upper polishing plate, which clamp the roller unit, in the opposite directions at the same speed; and pressing the polishing pads onto polishing faces of the lower polishing plate and the upper polishing plate by the roller unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Fujikoshi Machinery Corp.
    Inventors: Yoshio Nakamura, Harumichi Koyama
  • Patent number: 7300337
    Abstract: A grinding machine with a dust collector includes a driving portion, a transmitting portion, a dust-collecting tube, a fender, an air intake connector and a grinding wheel. The dust produced by the rotation of the grinding wheel is sucked by the dust-collecting tube having an inner tube. The inner tube is interconnected with an exhaust vent of the driving portion and the dust-discharging opening. An outlet of the inner tube is parallel to an airflow passage of the dust-discharging opening, such that when an exhaust gas is discharged from the inner tube, a siphon effect is produced at the airflow passage of the dust-collecting tube to suck and collect the dusts produced by the grinding wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Storm Pneumtic Tool Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yung-yung Sun, Chuan-ching Cheng
  • Patent number: 7291060
    Abstract: The present invention is applied in the fields of precise transmission devices, bio-medical devices and military-use devices to polish a surface of an object by an abrasive carried by the rotating of a screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: National Central University
    Inventors: Biing-Hwa Yan, Hsinn-Jyh Tzeng
  • Patent number: 7288022
    Abstract: A portable water-driven rotary tool for drilling, grinding and polishing concrete and stone that provides for high torque and that uses water pressures as the power source, the tool including a water control valve, an impeller with blades and a drive shaft that has a longitudinal axial water passage disposed therethrough for diverting water used to power the tool onto a work surface for lubrication and as a cleaning agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Inventors: Robert Bacon, Bruce Torrance
  • Patent number: 7273409
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for forming a spherical component using a centrifugal processing machine. The process includes the steps of providing a component having an initial shape with at least a portion that is non-spherical, placing the component into a container in the centrifugal processor, adding a first stage abrasive media into the container, and rotating the container so as to produce centrifugal and rotational motion of the abrasive within the container. The motion of the abrasive causes the component shape to change from the initial shape to a substantially spherical shape through the repeated contacting of the component's surface by the abrasive. In one embodiment, the components are further processed in a second stage using a different media to polish the surface of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Mikronite Technologies Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Steve E. Hoffman
  • Patent number: 7270591
    Abstract: A hand held orbital sander has a housing having an electronically commutated motor disposed therein and an orbit mechanism disposed beneath the housing. A motor controller is coupled to the motor. The motor controller changes the speed of at which it runs the motor from an idle speed to a sanding speed upon the motor speed dropping from idle speed to an idle speed threshold value and changes the speed at which it runs the motor from sanding speed to idle speed upon the motor speed increasing from sanding speed to a sanding speed threshold value. The sander may have a mechanical brake that brakes the orbit mechanism and the motor controller also dynamically brakes the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Uday S. Deshpande, Bhanuprasad V. Gorti, Shailesh P. Waikar, William F. Hilsher
  • Patent number: 7264535
    Abstract: During planarization of wafers, the thickness of a layer of a wafer is measured at a number of locations, after the wafer has been planarized by chemical mechanical polishing. The thickness measurements are used to automatically determine, from a center to edge profile model to which the measurements are fit, a parameter that controls chemical mechanical polishing, called “backside pressure.” Backside pressure is determined in some embodiments by a logic test based on the center-to-edge profile model, coefficient of determination R-square of the model, and current value of backside pressure. Note that a “backside pressure” set point is adjusted only if the fit of the measurements to the model is good, e.g. as indicated by R-square being greater than a predetermined limit. Next, the backside pressure that has been determined from the model is used in planarizing a subsequent wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands, B.V.
    Inventors: Hung- Chin Guthrie, Ming Jiang, Yeak-Chong Wong
  • Patent number: 7264536
    Abstract: A polishing layer of a polishing has a window member with a top surface positioned a predetermined distance below the polishing surface. A transparent layer can be positioned below the polishing layer and supporting the window member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Norbert Wiswesser, Ramiel Oshana, Kerry F. Hughes, Jay Rohde, David Datong Huo, Dominic J. Benvegnu
  • Patent number: 7264538
    Abstract: A method of removing at least a part of a thermal sprayed wear resistant coating on a gas turbine engine part includes grinding the thermal sprayed wear resistant coating with a superabrasive grinding wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Paul L. Hood, Kyle Gordon Gardiner, Brian Keyes, Keith Lockyer, Edward Marchitto, Thomas Robert Nadeau, Daniel W. St. Onge, Bernard D. Vaillette
  • Patent number: 7261617
    Abstract: A semiconductor wafer regenerating system is capable of easily and efficiently removing fabricating patterns formed on a semiconductor wafer to enable reuse of the semiconductor wafer. The system, which removes patterns of the semiconductor wafer in a dry manner by using blasting grit, includes a mesh conveyor, a grit blaster, a swinging element, a collecting element, a separating element, and a dust collector. The mesh conveyor transports the semiconductor wafer so that the patterns face upward. The grit blaster is installed above the mesh conveyor and has at least one blasting nozzle for blasting grits toward the semiconductor wafer to remove the patterns from the semiconductor wafer. The swinging element swings the blasting nozzle in a plane perpendicular to a transporting path of the semiconductor wafer along the mesh conveyor. The collecting element underneath the mesh conveyor collects pulverulent bodies including grits, chips, and dusts falling from the mesh conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Youth Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Shin Kim, Sang-Bong Han
  • Patent number: 7258597
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a material underwater is disclosed where the apparatus uses a mixture of abrasive material in a non-aspirated suspension mixed with a high pressure fluid, e.g. seawater. It is emphasized that. this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Oceaneering International, Inc.
    Inventor: Dan Thomas Benson
  • Patent number: 7258601
    Abstract: A machining apparatus, comprising: a mounting member to be rotationally driven; a tool support member mounted on the mounting member; and a fixing member, fixed to the mounting member, for fixing the tool support member to the mounting member. The mounting member has a mounting outer peripheral surface of a generally cylindrical shape, a cylindrical mounting hole as a through-hole is formed in the tool support member, and the tool support member is mounted on the mounting member by fitting the mounting hole of the tool support member onto the mounting outer peripheral surface of the mounting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Dicso Corporation
    Inventor: Seishi Sato