US 2006/0141906 A1 · Hydrodynamic radial flux polishing and grinding tool for optical and semiconductor surfaces

Abstract

A polishing tool useful for grinding and high precision, fine polishing of flat or curved optical surfaces, as well as for the optical flattening of semiconductor and metallic surfaces. The tool does not make contact with the surface to be polished and lacks moving parts; but produces a high velocity flux “cushion” that expands radially and parallel to the working surface, generating a stable, uniform and repeatable annular abrasion footprint. Due to the hydrodynamic characteristics of the tool, it can create polished surfaces of high-precision optical quality starting from the grinding process up through the final fine polishing process without having to change the tool, thereby avoiding friction against the work surface and tool wear. It can polish thin membranes and does not require a rigid or active support for the working surface. This invention considerably simplifies optical polishing processes and reduces costs with respect to other known methods.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A high precision polishing tool for fine grinding and polishing of flat or curved optical surfaces, as well as for the optical flattening of semiconductor and metal surfaces, comprising:

a plurality of cylindrical sections made of previously machined stainless steel or ceramic, where, the plurality of cylindrical sections are coupled to each other by means of a series of peripheral screws, said cylindrical sections consisting of a mixing module, where the mixing module mixes two or more components of a polishing mixture, a module comprising one or more rotational acceleration chambers, an aerostatic suspension system, a throat actuator, a material recovery groove, an exit nozzle and a divergent radial nozzle.

A high precision polishing tool for fine grinding and polishing of flat or curved optical surfaces, as well as for the optical flattening of semiconductor and metal surfaces, comprising:

a plurality of cylindrical sections made of previously machined stainless steel or ceramic, where, the plurality of cylindrical sections are coupled to each other by means of a series of peripheral screws, said cylindrical sections consisting of a mixing module, where the mixing module mixes two or more components of a polishing mixture, a module comprising one or more rotational acceleration chambers, an aerostatic suspension system, a throat actuator, an exit nozzle and a radial, divergent nozzle, where, the mixing module has a means for the density control of the polishing mixture, where the means is a porous cavity, and , where, the one or more rotational acceleration chambers consist of one or more cylindrical cavities characterized by an optimized hydrodynamical geometry, and, where, on the periphery of said one or more rotational acceleration chambers there exists a set of power injectors which are machined onto the surface of the one or more rotational acceleration chambers, and, where, the aerostatic suspension system generates a fluid layer over which the tool floats, and where the fluid layer allows the user of the tool to adjust the position of the tool with respect to the surface by means of a series of aerostatic bearings.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hydrodynamic radial flux polishing and grinding tool for optical and semiconductor surfaces

Life of this patent

Hydrodynamic radial flux polishing and grinding tool for optical and semiconductor surfaces

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20