Abstract: A wafer mounting plate for use in a polishing apparatus is disclosed. The wafer mounting plate includes a metal plate and a screen mounted to a top surface of the metal plate. The metal plate is normally formed of circular shape and provided with a plurality of vacuum passageways therethrough. The metal plate has a bottom surface for engaging a membrane member and a wafer by vacuum through the plurality of vacuum passageways, and a top surface for engaging a pressurizing means, such as a pneumatic gasket. The screen mounted to the top surface of the metal plate has a multiplicity of apertures each of a size not larger than 0.5 mm in diameter. The screen is mounted sandwiched between the top surface of the metal plate and the pressurizing means. The screen effectively prevents debris of a wafer breakage from entering a vacuum system that is used for holding the wafer on the wafer mounting plate.

Abstract: The device according to the invention for the tailstock end centering and clamping of a rotational workpiece with a circular-cylindrical end comprises a housing with a shank for accommodation in a tailstock barrel, and a chucking pot with a collet located in the housing for rotation about the axis of rotation of the workpiece. In accordance with the invention the collet is closable by way of the axial advancing action of the tailstock, and the axial tailstock thrust effecting the closing and clamping of the collet is transmitted to the workpiece in such manner that it is applied to the center of the workpiece, and the latter is displaceable into the center without friction generating radial sliding of the collet.

Abstract: An apparatus that enables a magnification system to view the surface of optical connectors without the need to remove the connectors from a polishing workholder. A connector is placed into a centering insert that is integral to a polishing workholder. The magnification system is fitted with an adapter that engages with the centering insert. This engagement locates the ferrule of the optical connector in the focal plane of the magnification system for viewing and inspection of surface quality.

Abstract: A polishing system has a polishing pad, a wafer retainer for pressing an insulating layer formed on a semiconductor wafer against polishing slurry spread over a polishing pad and a measuring apparatus for measuring the thickness of different portions of the insulating layer, and the measuring apparatus has measuring electrodes embedded in the polishing pad, a first calibration electrode also embedded in the polishing pad and a second calibration electrode embedded into the lower surface of the wafer retainer, wherein the first calibration electrode and the measuring electrodes are opposed to the second calibration electrode and an electrode formed in a dicing area of the semiconductor wafer during the polishing so that the measuring apparatus determines the thickness at the different portions on the basis of a first capacitance between the first calibration electrode and the second calibration electrode and a second capacitance between the measuring electrodes and the electrode in the dicing area.

Abstract: A hand tool for holding a spinning disc while the circumference of the disc is being ground is noteworthy for its ability to accommodate disks of various thicknesses. The disc is gripped between two resilient grippers that rotate with the disc. The grippers are mounted for rotation to the jaws of the tool. The jaws slide open and closed on two spaced parallel guide pins that are parallel to the axes of rotation of the grippers. This assures that as the jaws are opened or closed to accommodate discs of different thicknesses, the axes of the grippers remain colinear.

Abstract: A device for superfinishing of ground surfaces of workpieces has a finishing block, which can be displaced by means of a drive device in a plane which is orthogonal with respect to the surface to be worked and is pivotable in this plane. By means of this it is possible to create a device of relatively small structural size, by means of which any arbitrary surfaces of workpieces can be treated.

Abstract: A memory disk having a central opening and planar sides for receiving magnetic media on both of the sides is bounded by a cylindrical outside diameter peripheral edge and chamfered edges extending between each of the planar sides. The peripheral edge is clamped by a disk processing chuck including a disk retainer mount having a central disk support for mounting a circular disk edge bounding the central opening and a mount cylindrical beveled edge receiving an outside diameter chamfered edge of the disk. A ring in the retainer mount includes a multiplicity of spaced radial fingers extending cylindrically around the ring, each finger having a distal end extending to a first position outboard of the disk peripheral edge. The distal ends are moveable inwardly to a second position by an inflatable bladder acting simultaneously against all the fingers, placing the distal end tips into clamping contact with the disk peripheral edge mounted on the retainer mount.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for polishing one or both sides of a semiconductor wafer that has a central opening are provided. In one aspect, the apparatus includes a mandrel for holding the wafer and a motor coupled to the mandrel that is operable to rotate the mandrel. A first polisher assembly is provide that has a first polish pad for polishing the first side of the wafer and a second polish pad for polishing the second side of the wafer, and first means for moving the first and second polish pads into and out of engagement with the first and second sides of the wafer. According to the method, a semiconductor wafer is coupled to a rotatable mandrel and a polishing mixture is dispensed on one or both of the sides of the semiconductor wafer. A first polish pad is brought into contact with the first side of the semiconductor wafer and a second polish pad is brought into contact with the second side of the semiconductor wafer such that the first and second polish pads are positioned in opposition.

Abstract: Improved chucks for supporting elongate objects having conical end portions, such as single crystal ingots of semiconductor material, while such objects are held and rotated, as in a lathe. A base portion of the chuck includes bores to accept fasteners to fasten the base to a headstock or tailstock of a lathe. The base includes a receptacle for holding an annular chuck insert which has a conical socket surface to engage the body, such as a conical end portion of a single crystal ingot, to be held and rotated. Alternatively, the base may have three or more rollers spaced equally about a central axis and rotatable about roller axes all located in a plane perpendicular to the central axis.

Abstract: A wafer polisher head drive includes a head drive housing; a head portion extending from the housing for mounting an unpolished wafer when the head drive housing and head portion are in a horizontal orientation; a pivot mechanism extending from the head drive housing for pivoting the head drive housing and the head portion from the horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation juxtaposed to a transverse vertical portion of a continuous rotating polishing belt; a drive in the housing for moving the head portion and a mounted wafer outwardly from the housing against the transverse vertical portion of the rotating polishing belt; and a drive in the housing for rotating the head portion and the mounted wafer. The head drive housing may be pivoted from the vertical orientation in a sweeping arc extending perpendicularly from the belt transverse vertical portion or in a swinging arc extending parallel from the belt transverse vertical portion.

Abstract: An improved machine tool chuck is described in which the chuck body has a rotational axis and master jaws mounted in grooves provided on the surface of the chuck body. Each master jaw is dynamically balanced and includes a gripping jaw and an associated ungripping jaw, mounted within one of the grooves on opposite sides of the rotational axis, and a bridging member that fixedly attaches the gripping jaw and associated ungripping jaw across the rotational axis of the chuck body.

Abstract: Improved chucks for supporting elongate objects having conical end portions, such as single crystal ingots of semiconductor material, while such objects are held and rotated, as in a lathe. A base portion of the chuck includes bores to accept fasteners to fasten the base to a headstock or tailstock of a lathe. The base includes a receptacle for holding an annular chuck insert which has a conical socket surface to engage the body, such as a conical end portion of a single crystal ingot, to be held and rotated. Alternatively, the base may have three or more rollers spaced equally about a central axis and rotatable about roller axes all located in a plane perpendicular to the central axis.

Abstract: Workholding apparatus for mounting a workpiece (6) on a machine tool, the apparatus comprising a diaphragm chuck portion (2) and a tailstock portion (4). The chuck (2) includes a backing ring (70) with face portion (74) attached to the diaphragm (44) with the backing ring (70) having a centering locator guide (76) for centering and stopping the axial advancement of a workpiece in the chuck (2). The chuck (2) also includes a support ring (106) including material (109) located at the periphery thereof for sealing the area between the chuck and the workpiece and dampening vibrations brought about by the machining process. The tailstock portion (4) comprises a rotatable tailstock support (112) having at least one workpiece seating surface (117). The tailstock includes a centering locator guide (114) extending axially from the tailstock support (112) and having a generally curved outer surface (115) for centering the workpiece in the chuck (2).

Abstract: A work drive orienting system for a machine tool, such as a multiple belt grinder, comprises a head stock and a tail stock for supporting the workpiece to be machined, a locator retained by a spider in the head stock chuck, and a proximity sensor located in the loader operatively associated with the machine tool. The workpiece has journals at opposite ends, and spaced eccentric portions, such as cam lobes; also, a locating pin projects axially from one end of the workpiece. The locating pin has a predetermined angular relationship to the spaced eccentric portions of the workpiece.The locating pin must pass alongside the locator, which has a cylindrical body with a projecting tab, before power is supplied to the head stock and/or tail stock to drive same. A proximity sensor, located in the loader, scans an approximately 70.degree. arc on the workpiece, for the presence of eccentric surfaces, such as cam lobes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for dicing a semiconductor wafer in which the wafer is bowed or bent by forcing it into contact with a spherical surface having parallel grooves therein and in which an array of parallel wire saws that are in registration with the grooves is forced against the wafer for sawing parallel channels therethrough. A second array of parallel wire saws that are orthogonal to the wires of the first array is provided spaced therefrom for sawing parallel channels through the wafer that are orthogonal to the channels produced by the first array of parallel wire saws.

Abstract: A semi-conductor wafer polishing machine having at least one polishing pad assembly and at least one wafer holder positioned to hold a semi-conductor wafer against the polishing pad assembly includes a joint having two axes of rotation intersecting at a center of rotation. A wafer chuck is supported on the joint adjacent the periphery of the chuck to provide higher material removal rates at the center of the wafer than the periphery of the wafer during polishing.

Abstract: When a cylindrical single crystal ingot terminating in generally conical parts at the opposite ends thereof is machined with a cylindrical grinder which is adapted to support the ingot in place by fastening the conical parts of the ingot to a spindle side chuck and a tailstock side chuck severally provided with a conical hole and grind and finish the cylindrical part of the ingot while keeping the ingot driven on the spindle side, the ingot is liable to produce idle rotation possibly to the extent of disrupting the grinding work.

Abstract: An adhesive blocking system, for generating and for fining and polishing eyeglass lenses, utilizes a collar which slides over and engages a lens block, which lens block is secured to a lens blank by a relatively thick adhesive pad, to uniformly transfer pressure from the cylinder machine to the lens blank without deforming the adhesive pad, which deformation adversely affects the optics. In this manner, a lens blank is blocked only once for both generating and fining and polishing. In addition, the environmental risks and heating effects of current solder blocking systems are avoided.