Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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 |
| 5677758 | Lithography System using dual substrate stages Two lithographic substrate stages are used in a single lithographic system. While a substrate on one stage is being exposed, a second substrate is being loaded, unloaded, or aligned on a second stage. After exposure, the first stage is unloaded, reloaded,... | 10/14/1997 |
| 5669644 | Wafer transfer plate A wafer transfer plate adapted to be disposed on a wafer transfer unit for transferring a wafer within a wafer manufacturing system, which comprises at least one wafer contact portion designed to be held in contact with the wafer as the wafer transfer pla... | 09/23/1997 |
| 5669752 | Semiconductor wafer pre-aligning apparatus A semiconductor wafer pre-aligning apparatus includes a wafer transfer unit for transferring a semiconductor wafer, and a wafer stopping unit for stopping and disposing the transferred semiconductor wafer on a predetermined position of a transferring path... | 09/23/1997 |
| 5655871 | Device for transferring plate-like objects A plate-like object carrier device comprising plural arms arranged at a same pitch interval to horizontally support a wafer on each of the arms, a first motor for driving a single arm forward and backward and independently of a group of arms, a second mot... | 08/12/1997 |
| 5642298 | Wafer testing and self-calibration system A measurement station which rotates a wafer in a vertical plane and moves a scanning sensor linearly along an axis which is parallel to the wafer rotation plane, thus providing a spiral, or other, scan path across the wafer. The vertical orientation reduc... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5636964 | Wafer tray and ceramic blade for semiconductor processing apparatus A semiconductor wafer processing system for processing wafers from a wafer storage cassette includes a wafer transfer chamber; a wafer storage elevator within the transfer chamber; one or more wafer processing chambers; and a wafer transfer apparatus for ... | 06/10/1997 |
| 5626456 | Transfer device A wafer transfer device for transferring wafers between a wafer boat having a plurality of ring-shaped support plates arranged one above another, and a cassette capable of supporting semiconductor wafers at different levels. The support plates have a hole... | 05/06/1997 |
| 5622400 | Apparatus and method for handling semiconductor wafers Disclosed is an apparatus and method for modifying standard semiconductor wafer tranfer apparatus and method to permit the standard semiconductor wafer transfer apparatus and method to function with wafers that are extremely thin and flexible and are warp... | 04/22/1997 |
| 5612068 | Apparatus for the transfer of substrates In an apparatus for the transfer of substrates (9) from an initial station (3) through several process stations (4 to 8) and back to this initial station (3), manipulators (10 to 14) having pivoting gripper arms (15 to 19) and carousel transfer systems (2... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5609459 | Door drive mechanisms for substrate carrier and load lock A system is provided for batch loading semiconductor wafers into a load lock from a portable carrier used for supporting a plurality of the wafers in spaced relationship and transporting them in a particle free environment. The carrier is supported adjace... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5607276 | Batchloader for substrate carrier on load lock A system is provided for batch loading semiconductor wafers into a load lock from a portable carrier used for supporting a plurality of the wafers in spaced relationship and transporting them in a particle free environment. The carrier is supported adjace... | 03/04/1997 |
| 5595412 | Device for handling wafers The present invention provides a device for handling wafers with every group of more than one that is built in a cassette-less automatic wafer cleaning apparatus, wherein the group of wafers are washed at a time which does not require very high accuracy i... | 01/21/1997 |
| 5595522 | Semiconductor wafer edge polishing system and method An edge polishing system (20, 320) and method for edge polishing semiconductor wafers is disclosed. The system (20, 320) includes a loader (22, 326), a polisher (24, 328), an unloader (26, 330), and a controller (28, 335). The method includes the steps of... | 01/21/1997 |
| 5590996 | Wafer transfer apparatus A wafer transfer apparatus capable of simultaneously transferring multiple semiconductor wafers to and from a furnace or similar columnar wafer station. The apparatus has a cantilevered extension which extends from a main part. The extension is preferably... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5570994 | Wafer tray and ceramic blade for semiconductor processing apparatus A semiconductor wafer processing system for processing wafers from a wafer storage cassette includes a wafer transfer chamber; a wafer storage elevator within the transfer chamber; one or more wafer processing chambers; and a wafer transfer apparatus for ... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5571594 | Electronic component chip holder including two adhesive surfaces having different adhesiveness In order to properly hold a number of miniaturized electronic component chips so that processing such as formation of external electrodes can be efficiently performed, a holder having an adhesive face to be stuck to first end surfaces of a number of elect... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5565034 | Apparatus for processing substrates having a film formed on a surface of the substrate A substrate processing apparatus according to this invention includes an interface section having a first transfer member for transferring an object from a coating process section for applying a process solution to the object in accordance with a single s... | 10/15/1996 |
| 5562387 | Device for transferring plate-like objects A plate-like object carrier device comprising plural arms arranged at a same pitch interval to horizontally support a wafer on each of the arms, a first motor for driving a single arm forward and backward and independently of a group of arms, a second mot... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5563520 | Probe system A probe system has a wafer storing section for storing a semiconductor wafer as an object to be measured, a plurality of probe units for electrically measuring the wafer, a marking unit for marking a defective portion of the wafer, a repair unit for repai... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5558482 | Multi-chamber system A vacuum-process system comprising plural vacuum-process chambers in which substrates are processed in decompressed atmosphere, a first load lock chamber communicated with each of the vacuum-process chambers and exhausted to substantially same decompresse... | 09/24/1996 |
| 5549435 | Chamber and a chamber combination for a vacuum facility and a method for transporting through at least one workpiece A chamber for a vacuum facility comprises at least one opening for the through-transport of workpieces, particularly of circular-disk-shaped workpieces such as storage disks during their treatment, and a transport arrangement, which is movable in a driven... | 08/27/1996 |
| 5549444 | Loader for machine for printing objects from a stack A loader for a machine for printing objects presented in a stack includes a lifting device which lifts a stack of objects to be printed stepwise as objects are taken from the stack and a reciprocating transfer device having at least one take-up unit takin... | 08/27/1996 |
| 5544421 | Semiconductor wafer processing system A processor for processing integrated circuit wafers, semiconductor substrates, data disks and similar units requiring very low contamination levels. The processor has an interface section which receives wafers in standard wafer carriers. The interface se... | 08/13/1996 |
| 5543022 | Disc-handling apparatus A disc-handling apparatus for supporting a magnetic disc during material deposition and for transporting the disc into and out of a deposition station is described. The apparatus has a holder that supports a disc at three contact points by a support and a... | 08/06/1996 |
| 5534110 | Shadow clamp A wafer clamping member for clamping a wafer in a plasma reaction chamber. The clamping member has a design which minimizes particle contamination of the wafer and allows more wafers to be processed before it is necessary to clean built-up deposits from t... | 07/09/1996 |
| 5520501 | Wafer holding apparatus A wafer holding apparatus comprises a susceptor unit having wafer support grooves where wafers are detachably fixed, a plurality of chuck claws so provided as to be movable by air cylinders relative to a chuck body and adapted to hold the outer edge of th... | 05/28/1996 |
| 5518542 | Double-sided substrate cleaning apparatus There is provided a double-sided substrate cleaning apparatus including a carrier station for loading/unloading a carrier in which objects to be processed are stored, a convey mechanism for conveying an object taken out from the carrier station, at least ... | 05/21/1996 |
| 5484252 | Sample holding apparatus In a sample holding apparatus including a main body, a holding body movably provided to the main body, a spring disposed to urge the main body and the holding body toward one another, pins fixed to the main body and the holding body for holding a sample, ... | 01/16/1996 |
| 5479108 | Method and apparatus for handling wafers A method and apparatus for handling wafers. A wafer pick moves along a horizontal x-axis to unload a wafer from a cassette and position the wafer over a chuck. The chuck moves upwardly along a z-axis perpendicular to the surface of the wafer and lifts the... | 12/26/1995 |
| 5474641 | Processing method and apparatus thereof The present invention relates to a processing chamber that processes an object to be processed in an atmosphere of a processing gas. The processing chamber is provided with a mounting stand having a holder mechanism that holds the object to be processed w... | 12/12/1995 |
| 5468111 | Disc loading and unloading assembly An assembly for transferring discs between disc manufacturing machinery or processes comprises a series of storage cassettes having discs stored therein. Each stored disc is retrieved from the cassette and placed into a shuttle which carries the disc whil... | 11/21/1995 |
| 5460478 | Method for processing wafer-shaped substrates An apparatus for coating and developing a resist on a wafer comprises a carrier station provided with a plurality of carriers for receiving wafers and transfer tables, a processing section having a plurality of processing units, and a transfer robot provi... | 10/24/1995 |
| 5451130 | Method and apparatus for the step-by-step and automatic loading and unloading of a coating apparatus A first turntable (4) has a plurality of posts (6) equidistantly distributed and arranged in a circle on the turntable (4), wherein a plurality of substrates (7) can be stacked on each post (6). Stationary loading (9) and unloading stations (10 11) are pr... | 09/19/1995 |
| 5429642 | Method for transferring wafers from one processing station to another sequentially and system therefor A method for transferring wafers from one processing station to another station sequentially, utilizing a transfer system which is installed in a clean bench forming a downward flow of clean air. A plurality of stations is provided for processing wafers i... | 07/04/1995 |
| 5421889 | Method and apparatus for inverting samples in a process The invention provides apparatus and methods for improving systems which expose samples to reactive plasmas, and more particularly for inverting the sample within these systems. The systems are of the type which have one or more process chambers, at least... | 06/06/1995 |
| 5404894 | Conveyor apparatus A thermal processing station is provided with a first conveyor that conveys a wafer from a first conveyor access portion and a second conveyor that conveys another wafer from a second conveyor access opening portion. The wafer conveyed from the first conv... | 04/11/1995 |
| 5403397 | Device for manufacturing a mold for a disc-shaped registration carrier The invention relates to a device and a method for manufacturing a mould for a disc-shaped registration carrier, said device being provided with a station for applying a photosensitive layer, such as a photoresist layer, to a substrate, with a station for... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5374888 | Electrical characteristics measurement method and measurement apparatus therefor A method for positioning and testing an object to be tested wherein the surface of an object to be tested for electrical characteristics is brought into contact with a test probe. The side of the object opposite the surface to be tested is held by a sucti... | 12/20/1994 |
| 5372612 | Semiconductor material contacting member A semiconductor material contacting member which greatly reduces potential for semiconductor material breakage is provided. Preferably, the contacting member is a ceramic cylinder (60) which can be used to brace a semiconductor wafer (14) in a wafer stati... | 12/13/1994 |
| 5364222 | Apparatus for processing wafer-shaped substrates An apparatus for coating and developing a resist on a wafer comprises a carrier station provided with a plurality of carriers for receiving wafers and transfer tables, a processing section having a plurality of processing units, and a transfer robot provi... | 11/15/1994 |
