Patents by Inventor Shigeo Kumabe

Shigeo Kumabe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for polishing chamfers of semiconductor wafers
    Patent number: 5989105
    Abstract: A semiconductor wafer chamfer polishing method for polishing chamfers formed on the edges of semiconductor wafers includes rotating a semiconductor wafer; pressing a polishing cloth against a chamfer of the semiconductor wafer with sufficient pressure to elastically deform the polishing cloth, while supplying polishing fluid to the chamfer; sliding the polishing cloth along an incline of the chamfer from an outer edge toward a center of the semiconductor wafer so as to form a bulge portion of the polishing cloth which contacts an outer surface of the semiconductor wafer, thereby polishing the outer surface along with the chamfer of the semiconductor wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Mitsubishi Materials Silicon Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Kawakawaguchi, Shigeru Kimura, Akihito Yanoo, Masao Takada, Shoji Tsuruta, Shigeo Kumabe
  • Method and apparatus for cleaning and separating wafers bonded to a fixing member
    Patent number: 5976954
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of cleaning wafers bonded on a fixing member in the form of an ingot, and then sliced by a wire saw from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension to form a row of wafers. The method includes: a cleaning process for cleaning the wafers bonded on the fixing member in the form of the row of wafers (workpiece W) by a cleaning mechanism; and a separating process includes: a softening step for softening an adhesive in a softening vessel; a first moving step for turning and moving a wafer in a planar direction using an end point of the glued portion of the wafer and the fixing member as the fulcrum; and a second moving step for further moving the wafer in a planar direction by a suction-cup rotary actuator to thereby bring the wafer out of the region of the row of wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Mitsubishi Materials Silicon Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Kimura, Shigeo Kumabe
  • Apparatus for polishing wafer
    Patent number: 5618227
    Abstract: There is disclosed a wafer-polishing apparatus suitably designed to carry out a chemical mechanical polishing operation. The apparatus includes a lower polishing plate assembly, a first rotating mechanism for rotating the first polishing plate assembly, an upper polishing plate assembly, a second rotating mechanism for rotating the upper polishing plate assembly, a pressing mechanism, a conveying mechanism and a discharging mechanism. The lower polishing plate assembly includes a lower polishing plate, a polishing pad, a porous sheet interposed between the lower polishing plate and the polishing pad. The porous sheet has a thickness of 0.5 to 3 mm, and is formed of a foaming resin. The upper polishing plate assembly includes an upper polishing plate, a plate-like chuck and a backing pad, a pressure reducing unit, and a cleaning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignees: Mitsubushi Materials Corporation, Mitsubushi Materials Silicon Corporations
    Inventors: Yukio Tsutsumi, Shigeo Kumabe, Keisuke Takahashi