Method and apparatus of holding a device
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsMartin Liu, Chung-Yi Yu, Che Ying Hsu, Yeur-Luen Tu, Da-Hsiang Chou, Chia-Shiung Tsai
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Abstract
Provided is an apparatus and a method of holding a device. The apparatus includes a wafer chuck having first and second holes that extend therethrough, and a pressure control structure that can independently and selectively vary a fluid pressure in each of the first and second holes between pressures above and below an ambient pressure. The method includes providing a wafer chuck having first and second holes that extend therethrough, and independently and selectively varying a fluid pressure in each of the first and second holes between pressures above and below an ambient pressure.
Claims21
An apparatus, comprising:
- a wafer chuck having first and second holes that extend therethrough;
- and
- a pressure control structure that can independently and selectively vary a fluid pressure in each of the first and second holes between pressures above and below an ambient pressure.
11-20. (canceled)
An apparatus, comprising:
- a wafer-holding device that includes:
- a top side and a bottom side;
- and
- a plurality of openings that each extend through the wafer-holding device from the top side to the bottom side;
- and
- a control structure that is operable to individually control a pressure in each of the openings of the wafer-holding device, the control structure including a vacuum source, a pressure source, and a controller;
- wherein the vacuum source, the pressure source, and the controller are each coupled to each of the openings.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a device that is operable to hold a wafer, the device having opposite first and second surfaces and first and second openings that each extend from the first surface to the second surface;
- first, second, third, and fourth conduits for fluid flow, the first and second conduits being coupled to the first opening, and the third and fourth conduits being coupled to the second opening;
- a first pump coupled to the first and second openings through the first and second conduits, the first pump being operable to create a partial vacuum within the first and second conduits;
- a second pump coupled to the first and second openings through the third and fourth conduits, the second pump being operable to deliver a pressurized fluid to the third and fourth conduits;
- and
- a control unit that is coupled to the first, second, third, and fourth conduits, the control unit being operable to selectively open and shut off each of the first, second, third, and fourth conduits.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.