Quotables
"That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?"
President Rutherford B. Hayes ; Said in 1876, after Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone to him at the White House
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7547181 | Substrate position correcting method and apparatus using either substrate radius or center of rotation correction adjustment sum A substrate W rotates about the center of rotations A0 of a spin base 3, while supported by plural support pins 5 in such a manner that the substrate W can freely slide and while held owing to the force of friction which develops between the bot... | 06/16/2009 |
| 7433759 | Apparatus and methods for positioning wafers A method for calibrating a controller of a robotic arm in a microelectronics manufacturing apparatus that includes storing a default position for an edge detector, moving a blade on the robotic arm based on the default position of the edge detector such that at leas... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7334826 | End-effectors for handling microelectronic wafers End-effectors may be used to grasp microelectronic workpieces for handling by automated transport devices. One such end-effector includes a plurality of abutments and a detector adapted to detect engagement of the edge of the workpiece by at least one of the abutmen... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7319920 | Method and apparatus for self-calibration of a substrate handling robot A substrate-handling robot which serves a processing tool such as a plating tool may be automatically controlled by a controller to perform a self-calibration procedure. As part of the procedure, an end effector of the robot is moved to interact with sensors provide... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7314344 | Substrate-transporting device The present invention relates to a substrate-transporting device, including a base, a substrate carrier unit and a shaft unit mounted between the base and the substrate carrier unit. The shaft unit has a supporting shaft and a shaft base to support and control rotat... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7302755 | Head assembly for a component mounter Provided is a component mounter having a plurality of revolving nozzle spindles, which can simultaneously pick up and mount two or more electronic components. A head assembly for the component mounter includes: a base frame; a rotary housing rotatably mounted on the... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7287951 | Device and method for the harmonized positioning of wafer disks A device for aligning a plurality of vertically arranged (upright) disks (20), especially wafer disks during the fabrication of semiconductor chips. Two mounting or bearing elements (30, 32) respectively have individually mounted guide rollers (34 | 10/30/2007 |
| 7278328 | Method and apparatus for handling sample holders A sample handling apparatus identifies sample holders and their location in a sample holder carrier. This information may be used to determine the identity of sample holders based only on location in the carrier during subsequent processing of material contained in ... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7264768 | Single substrate annealing of magnetoresistive structure A device for magnetically annealing magnetoresistive elements formed on wafers includes a heated chuck and a delivery mechanism for individually placing the wafers individually on the chuck one at a time. A coil is adjacent to the chuck and generates a magnetic fiel... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7246984 | Method and apparatus for transferring an article to be processed and processing apparatus A transferring apparatus transfers an article to be processed, which is carried by a carrier device, to a holder provided in a processing chamber defined by a processing vessel and adapted to hold the article at a specified processing position. The transferring appa... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7244088 | FOUP door transfer system A device (12) picks up at least one semi-conductor wafer (11) from a container (14) of wafers fitted on one side (15) of an aperture (13) in the transfer station (10) of a semi-conductor wafer processing plant. The device is... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7241103 | Method and system for adjusting a position of an object According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for adjusting a position of an object to compensate for tilt includes providing a rotatable base supporting an object and directing the object relative to the base such that the position of the object is... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7240580 | Single degree of freedom axis positioner A single degree of freedom positioner resistant to axial and rotational motion on two axes, and to rotation around a third axis, but permitting axial movement along the third axis. The axes are orthogonally related. The positioner is characterized by support of a st... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7230441 | Wafer staging platform for a wafer inspection system A wafer staging platform for a wafer inspection system for inspecting of semiconductors or like substrates and method of handling wafers. The platform and related method is designed to reduce the amount of time needed to exchange wafers on a processing tool. The sta... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7223063 | Method and system for adjusting a position of an object According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for adjusting a position of an object to compensate for tilt includes providing a rotatable base supporting an object and directing the object relative to the base such that the position of the object is... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7209227 | Backside contamination inspection device A system for simultaneously inspecting the frontsides and backsides of semiconductor wafers for defects is disclosed. The system rotates the semiconductor wafer while the frontside and backside surfaces are generally simultaneously optically scanned for defects. Rot... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7181314 | Industrial robot with controlled flexibility and simulated force for automated assembly An industrial robot that has uses a simulated force vector to allow a work piece held by the robot end effector to be mated with a work piece whose location and orientation is not precisely known to the robot. When the end effector makes contact with the location an... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7169346 | Rotating inertial pin blank stops for pressware die sets In an apparatus for manufacturing pressware containers from container blanks there is provided a plurality of inertial blank stop pins disposed so as to position a container blank prior to press forming. The stop pins are rotatable in order to absorb the kinetic ene... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7153087 | Centering mechanism, centering unit, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and centering method A centering unit comprises a plate, centering mechanism, link mechanism, and cylinder mechanism. The plate vertically divides the interior of a frame. The support table is located substantially on the center of the plate. The centering mechanism can center each wafe... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7151981 | Methods and apparatus for positioning a substrate relative to a support stage In a first aspect, a substrate positioning system includes a plurality of pushers arranged in a spaced relation about a stage adapted to support a substrate. Each pusher is adapted to assume a retracted position so as to permit the substrate to be loaded onto and un... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7134827 | Reduced footprint tool for automated processing of microelectronic substrates The present invention provides tools and methods of processing microelectronic substrates in which the tools maintain high throughput yet have dramatically lower footprint than conventional tools. In preferred aspects, the present invention provides novel tool desig... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7108476 | Method and device for changing a semiconductor wafer position A mechanical apparatus and method are disclosed for orienting and positioning semiconductor wafers while avoiding contamination of elements on the faces thereof, by only contacting the peripheries thereof. The apparatus may include a frame for wafer supports and a s... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7104579 | Detection and handling of semiconductor wafers and wafer-like objects An end effector has one or more vortex chucks to support a wafer, and at least two detectors for detecting different portions of the wafer before the wafer is picked up. If one of the detectors detects a wafer and the other one does not, an alarm is generated to ale... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7059944 | Integrated system for processing semiconductor wafers An integrated process tool for chemical mechanical processing, cleaning and drying a semiconductor workpiece is provided. The integrated process tool includes a CMP module and a cleaning and drying module. After being processed, the workpiece is transported from the... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7052229 | Alignment of semiconductor wafers and other articles A wafer or some other article is aligned while being held by an end-effector. ... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7039501 | Method for determining a position of a robot Generally, a method of determining a position of a robot is provided. In one embodiment, a method of determining a position of a robot comprises acquiring a first set of positional metrics, acquiring a second set of positional metrics and resolving the position of t... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7032287 | Edge grip chuck An actuated edge grip chuck includes tabs with raised portions that press against the side of a substrate as opposed clamping on the top or bottom surfaces. The edge grip chuck includes a solid-state actuator to move a moveable tab into an open position. The solid-s... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7011483 | Load port, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing method, and method of detecting wafer adapter A load port includes an adapter-detecting sensor arranged at an upper portion of an opener. When the opener opens a lid of a FOUP, the adapter-detecting sensor detects whether a wafer adapter is mounted in the FOUP, and notifies a control unit of a semiconductor man... | 03/14/2006 |
| 7004716 | Device and method for aligning disk-shaped substrates The invention relates to a simple and cost-effective method for aligning substrates. In order to achieve this, the invention provides a device for aligning disc-shaped substrates, in particular semiconductor wafers, comprising an alignment detection unit, at least o... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6983532 | In-line program system for assembly printed circuit board An in-line programming (ILP) system and method for programming and testing programmable integrated circuit devices (PICs) and performing the assembly of printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs). Printed circuit boards enter and leave the ILP system on a conveyor sys... | 01/10/2006 |
| 6961639 | Apparatus and process for identification of characters inscribed on a semiconductor wafer containing an orientation mark A device and process are provided for identifying characters inscribed on a semiconductor wafer containing an orientation mark. A semiconductor wafer having characters inscribed on a surface near its periphery is supported about its periphery between three rotary su... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6948898 | Alignment of semiconductor wafers and other articles A wafer or some other article is aligned while being held by an end-effector. ... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6935830 | Alignment of semiconductor wafers and other articles A wafer or some other article is aligned while being held by an end-effector. ... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6935466 | Lift pin alignment and operation methods and apparatus A lifting mechanism includes a plurality of lift pins which may be driven separately and independently upward to engage an alignment surface of the chamber using ambient atmospheric pressure as the chamber is evacuated by a pump. In the illustrated embodiment, each ... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6932558 | Wafer aligner A prealigner for aligning a disk-like work piece such as a silicon wafer, by centering and rotationally orienting the work piece. The prealigner centers and orients the work piece while only touching the periphery of the work piece using a plurality of wafer rollers... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6920796 | Device used for detecting clamping force of processed object and method thereof A device used for detecting the clamping force of a processed object and a method thereof are proposed. The device comprises a detection unit, a basis component and a pressure detection component disposed on the basis component. The basis component having the pressu... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6916147 | Substrate storage cassette with substrate alignment feature A substrate storage cassette and a method of orienting a substrate disposed therein are provided. In one embodiment, the substrate storage cassette includes a plurality of flanges pairs disposed between a first lateral sidewall coupled in a spaced-apart relation to ... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6899780 | Method and apparatus for placing discrete parts transversely onto a moving web This invention pertains to processing continuous webs such as paper, film, composites, and the like, in dynamic continuous processing operations. More particularly, it relates to transferring discrete parts to a continuous web, whether paper, film, composite, or the... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6860027 | Wafer alignment device The device (1) picks up and aligns a sawframe (30) for handling and aligning silicon wafers (31). The device (1) includes at least one resiliently moveable locating arm (11) which is adapted to engage co-operably with a notch (3... | 03/01/2005 |
| 6699004 | Wafer rotation in wafer handling devices Tracking the movement of individual wafers in a semiconductor processing system is improved by using an apparatus to axially rotate a wafer and using both the rotation angle and the wafer's location in the processing system as tracking coordinates. In an ... | 03/02/2004 |
