Distributed polishing head

Patent 5230184 Issued on July 27, 1993. Estimated Expiration Date:

July 5, 2011. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

3579922

3740900

3905162

Method and apparatus for lapping and polishing optical surfaces
Patent #: 4606151
Issued on: 08/19/1986
Inventor: Heynacher

Method for machining workpieces of brittle hard material into wafers
Patent #: 4663890
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Inventor: Brandt

Semiconductor wafer surface grinding apparatus
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Issued on: 09/15/1987
Inventor: Mori

Face grinder
Patent #: 4726150
Issued on: 02/23/1988
Inventor: Nishio , et al.

Apparatus for lapping and polishing optical surfaces
Patent #: 4850152
Issued on: 07/25/1989
Inventor: Heynacher , et al.

Polishing apparatus
Patent #: 4897966
Issued on: 02/06/1990
Inventor: Takahashi

Method for lapping a wafer material and an apparatus therefor
Patent #: 4918869
Issued on: 04/24/1990
Inventor: Kitta

More ...

Inventor

Bukhman, Yefim

Assignee

Motorola, Inc.

Application

No. 726420 filed on 07/05/1991

US Classes:

451/41, Glass or stone abrading451/505, Hydraulically actuated451/526FLEXIBLE-MEMBER TOOL, PER SE

Examiners

Primary: Kisliuk, Bruce M.
Assistant: Reichenbach, Bryan

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Barbee; Joe E.

Foreign Patent References

0744009 BE 07/13/1970
0272362 EP. 06/13/1988
0020494 JP 02/13/1979
0011754 JP. 01/13/1989
3-121773 JP 05/13/1991

International Classes

B24B 007/22
B24B 007/04
395
206 P
206.4
395
397
398
401
237 M

Abstract

A distributed polishing head assembly (17) has a flexible membrane (14), and a plurality of periodic polishing pads (12) that are attached to the flexible membrane (14). The polishing pads (12) are made from a flat semiconductor wafer that has been sawed into small pieces. The polishing head is rubbed against a semiconductor wafer (10) in order to planarize the wafer (10).