Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7572175 | Coolant supply apparatus for grinding machine In a coolant supply apparatus for a grinding machine, a wheel imbalance prevention device is operated within the period from the switching to the closed state of a shut-off valve which is provided on a conduit connecting a coolant supply to a coolant nozzle, until t... | 08/11/2009 |
| 7419419 | Slurry supply unit for CMP apparatus A slurry supply unit for a CMP apparatus is disclosed. The slurry supply unit includes a slurry flow sensor in a slurry injection pipe to measure the flow of the injected slurry, an auxiliary pump engaged with a slurry distribution line to discharge the slurry at a ... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7413497 | Chemical mechanical polishing slurry pump monitoring system and method According to one embodiment of the invention, a chemical mechanical polishing monitoring system includes a pump delivering a slurry to a polishing pad and a rotation sensing device coupled to the pump. The rotation sensing device senses a rotation of the pump and ge... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7390240 | Method of shaping and forming work materials Method of processing a workpiece comprising (a) providing a tool and a workpiece, wherein the workpiece has an initial shape; (b) placing the workpiece and the tool in contact to form an interface, applying force to the tool and/or the workpiece, and moving the tool... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7338352 | Slurry delivery system, chemical mechanical polishing apparatus and method for using the same A slurry delivery system, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus, and method for using the same are provided. An apparatus for supplying slurry to a polishing unit may include a first feed line through which an abrasive may be supplied at a first velocity. ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7314402 | Method and apparatus for controlling slurry distribution A method and apparatus for ‘through-the-pad’ delivery of slurry polishing agents directly to the land areas of a polishing pad is disclosed. The present invention further provides for improved control of the chemical composition of the slurry to address loss of ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7306508 | Multi-wire saw A multi-wire saw according to the present invention cuts a workpiece while supplying a slurry containing an alkali or mixed acid to a cutting interface between the workpiece and a wire, and includes: a storage tank with a heating mechanism for storing and heating th... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7267608 | Method and apparatus for conditioning a chemical-mechanical polishing pad A conditioner including abrasive elements for conditioning a polishing pad to be used in abrasive semiconductor substrate treatment processes, such as chemical-mechanical polishing or chemical-mechanical planarization processes. The abrasive elements are formed from... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7258598 | Polishing solution supply system, method of supplying polishing solution, apparatus for and method of polishing semiconductor substrate and method of manufacturing semiconductor device A first supply unit sprays and supplies abrasive slurry containing abrasive grains into a mixing unit. A second supply unit sprays and supplies additive into the mixing unit. A third supply unit sprays and supplies pure water into the mixing unit. The mixing unit mi... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7232360 | Uninterrupted abrasive fluid supply A substantially uninterrupted flow of a pressurised abrasive slurry is maintained by successively charging each of a plurality of vessels V1, V2 with an abrasive material while discharging an abrasive slurry from another of the vessels at a common outl... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7232363 | Polishing solution retainer A substrate polishing apparatus and method are described. A base includes at least one movable platen to engage a polishing pad. At least one carrier head assembly presses a substrate against the polishing pad substantially within a polishing area during a polishing... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7163438 | Zone polishing using variable slurry solid content A slurry dispensing apparatus for use with a chemical mechanical polishing tool for planarizing semiconductor substrates having irregular topology. The apparatus includes a slurry dispensing manifold with a first end suspended over a polishing pad, and a second end ... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7143517 | Cleaning device for a shaving apparatus A cleaning device for a shaving apparatus, includes a container for receiving the shaving apparatus. The container is at least partially filled with a cleaning fluid. The cleaning device of the invention also includes a device to limit the immersion depth of the sha... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7144312 | Scratch removal tool and system A system for removing scratches from glass windows, windshields and the like utilizing a compound applied to a powered polishing disk/pad which effectively “scrubs” away the scratches. Liquid needs to be applied during the process. To enable the operator to use ... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7140955 | Polishing apparatus A polishing apparatus includes a plurality of polishing fluid supply openings terminating in a polishing surface of a polishing table, and a plurality of grooves which are formed in the polishing surface and arranged so as not to be in direct communication with the ... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7137873 | Grinding method for workpiece, jet guide means and jet regulation means used for the method A grinding method is provided which can grind a processing surface of a workpiece by a blast processing without use of specific abrasives to obtain a glossy surface such as a mirror surface. Abrasives together with compresses fluid are injected to the processing sur... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7121926 | Methods for planarization of group VIII metal-containing surfaces using a fixed abrasive article A planarization method includes providing a Group VIII metal-containing surface (preferably, a platinum-containing surface) and positioning it for contact with a fixed abrasive article in the presence of a planarization composition, wherein the fixed abrasive articl... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7122475 | Methods for using bi-modal abrasive slurries for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic-device substrate assemblies A method and apparatus for making and using slurries for planarizing microelectronic-device substrate assemblies in mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical planarization processes. In one aspect of the invention, a bi-modal slurry is fabricated by removing a first typ... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7108589 | Polishing apparatus and method A polishing apparatus and method has a function of polishing a surface of a film formed on a substrate to a flat mirror finish and a function of polishing unnecessary metal film such as copper film deposited on an outer peripheral portion of the substrate to remove ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7108579 | Method and device for polishing The present invention relates to a polishing method for polishing a workpiece by pressing the workpiece, to be polished, against a fixed abrasive and bringing the workpiece into sliding contact with the fixed abrasive. The polishing method includes a first step of p... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7108588 | System, method, and apparatus for wetting slurry delivery tubes in a chemical mechanical polishing process to prevent clogging thereof A moisturizing process for slurry delivery tubes in chemical mechanical polishing is disclosed. A mist of deionized water is dispensed directly into the tubes each time a high pressure spray bar automatically cycles. The tips of the tubes are kept wet enough to prev... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7097546 | System and method for reducing surface defects in integrated circuits The fabrication of integrated circuits entails the repeated application of many basic processing steps, for instance, planarization—the process of making a surface flat, or planar. One specific technique for making surfaces flat is chemical-mechanical planarizatio... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7070703 | Process for producing glass disk substrates for magnetically recordable data storage disks A polished glass disk is prepared for a magnetically recordable coating by texturing the surfaces with a highly abrasive material being abrasively engaged with the surfaces as the disk is rotated, thereby creating a relatively coarse texture with the abrasions conce... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7066790 | Chemical-mechanical polishing methods A chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) method includes applying a solid abrasive material to a substrate, polishing the substrate, flocculating at least a portion of the abrasive material, and removing at least a majority portion of the flocculated portion from the s... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7044836 | Coated metal oxide particles for CMP The invention provides a method of polishing a substrate, which method comprises the steps of (i) providing a polishing composition, (ii) providing a substrate comprising at least one metal layer, and (iii) abrading at least a portion of the metal layer with the pol... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7040965 | Methods for removing doped silicon material from microfeature workpieces Methods for removing material from microfeature workpieces are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes disposing a surfactant-bearing polishing liquid between a doped silicon material of the microfeature workpiece and a polish... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7021999 | Rinse apparatus and method for wafer polisher An apparatus for polishing a wafer comprising a rotatable polishing pad having a center of rotation and a rinse delivery conduit positioned adjacent to the polishing pad and substantially in radial alignment with the center. The rinse delivery conduit includes a plu... | 04/04/2006 |
| 7014539 | Method and apparatus for minimizing agglomerate particle size in a polishing fluid An apparatus and method for minimizing the size of agglomerated particles in a polishing fluid is provided. The method includes positioning a polishing pad between a sacrificial member and a support member such that the sacrificial member is in communication with th... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7004824 | Method and apparatus for detecting and dispersing agglomerates in CMP slurry A method and apparatus of in situ monitoring and dispersing unwanted particles in slurry used during CMP polishing. The method includes providing a slurry path, applying to the slurry path a microcavitation field of a first level to detect particles of a predetermin... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6979251 | Method and apparatus to add slurry to a polishing system A semiconductor wafer is wetted with slurry by injecting the slurry into at least one channel which is provided in a wear ring, while the wear ring is holding the wafer and is pressed against a polishing pad. Preferably, the channel in the wear ring includes a plura... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6979252 | Low defectivity product slurry for CMP and associated production method A low defectivity colloidal silica-based product slurry for use in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) and an associated production method are described. The product slurry is produced using centrifugation of and optionally with addition of a surfactant to a sta... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6976904 | Chemical mechanical polishing slurry A liquid suspension for planarizing an outer surface of a material comprises a liquid suspension medium of a specific liquid density; and a plurality of solid, contact-sensitive abrasive particles of a constant solid density and suspended in the liquid suspension me... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6969307 | Polishing pad conditioning and polishing liquid dispersal system A pad conditioning system for conditioning a polishing pad in conjunction with polishing of a workpiece includes a pad conditioning head coupled with a positioning unit. The pad conditioning head includes a conditioning surface that is configured to be moved into co... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6958005 | Polishing pad conditioning system A pad conditioning system for conditioning a polishing pad in conjunction with a workpiece polishing operation includes a pad conditioning head coupled with a positioning unit. The pad conditioning head includes a plurality of abrasive particles protruding from a su... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6953391 | Methods for reducing slurry usage in a linear chemical mechanical planarization system Methods for dispensing slurry in a linear chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system are provided. One method involves the use of a pulsing flow of slurry instead of a continuous flow of slurry. Another method involves spraying a mist of slurry onto the polishin... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6949011 | Method and apparatus for cleaning a web-based chemical mechanical planarization system A method and apparatus for cleaning a web-based chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) system. Specifically, a fluid spray bar is coupled to a frame assembly which may be mounted on a CMP system. The fluid spray bar will move along the frame assembly. As the fluid ... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6945859 | Apparatus for fluid jet formation A method and apparatus for controlling the coherence of a high-pressure fluid jet directed toward a selected surface. In one embodiment, the coherence is controlled by manipulating a turbulence level of the fluid forming the fluid jet. The turbulence level can be ma... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6942548 | Polishing method using an abrading plate An abrading plate has a self-stopping capability such that when an object, such as a semiconductor wafer having a device structure that includes raised regions and depressed regions fabricated on the surface, is being polished, the raised regions are removed and pol... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6939210 | Slurry delivery arm A polishing fluid delivery apparatus has been provided that in one embodiment includes a support member, a dispense arm, a polishing fluid delivery tube and a variable restricting device. The dispense arm extends from an upper portion of the support member and has a... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6939211 | Planarizing solutions including abrasive elements, and methods for manufacturing and using such planarizing solutions A planarizing slurry for mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical polishing of microfeature workpieces. In one embodiment, the planarizing slurry comprises a liquid solution and a plurality of abrasive elements mixed in the liquid solution. The abrasive elements compri... | 09/06/2005 |
