Machine for finishing a work piece, and having a highly controllable treatment tool
AssigneeII-Vi Delaware, Inc.
InventorsEdward J. Gratrix, Brian J. Monti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A machine featuring a treatment tool that grinds a surface to a desired profile, imparts a desired roughness to that surface, and removes contamination from the surface, the machine configured to control multiple independent input variables simultaneously, the controllable variables selected from the group consisting of (i) velocity, (ii) rotation, and (iii) dither of the treatment tool, and (iv) pressure of the treatment tool against the surface. The machine can move the treatment tool with six degrees of freedom.
Claims15
A machine for treating a first surface of a wafer chuck having a first hardness and having a flat surface portion, the machine comprising:
- a first longitudinal axis on which the wafer chuck is rotatably mounted;
- an input shaft being rotatable about a second longitudinal axis and being movable in three orthogonal directions relative to the first longitudinal axis;
- an adjustment block connected to the input shaft and being rotatable therewith;
- a treatment tool attached to a tool shaft, the tool shaft being adjustably connected to the adjustment block on the input shaft and being configured to adjust the treatment tool between an aligned position in which the tool shaft is co-axial with the second longitudinal axis of the input shaft and an offset position in which the tool shaft is at a radial offset relative to the second longitudinal axis of the input shaft, the radial offset being configured to impart a dither to the treatment tool, wherein the treatment tool, in a single operation, grinds the first surface to a desired figure, imparts a desired roughness to that surface, and removes contamination,
- said treatment tool including a contacting surface configured to contact the first surface to be ground and roughened,
- said contacting surface (a) having a second hardness, and (b) having a toroidal shape such that contact of said toroidal surface with the flat surface portion defines a circle
- wherein the adjustment block comprises an adjustment screw orthogonal to the input shaft, a portion of the tool shaft being threadedly connected to the adjustment screw such that the tool shaft is adjustable, via the threaded connection, along the adjustment screw between the aligned position and the offset position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.