Method and apparatus for substrate stripping

An apparatus for stripping away portions of a substrate, the apparatus comprising:

• a. a substrate handling arrangement adapted to horizontally support a flat, thin substrate so as to define a substrate-plane;
• and
• b. a first and second stripping assemblies respectively defining first and second rotation axes that are disposed on opposite sides of the substrate plane, wherein:
• i. the first stripping assembly comprises:
• A. a first impact-element-set of one or more flexible impact-elements that are each disposed around the first rotation axis;
• and
• B. a first rotation-drive positioned and configured to rotate each impact-element of the first impact-element-set around the first rotation-axis so as to repeatedly drive a peripheral portion of each impact-element of the first impact-element-set across the substrate-plane;
• ii. the second stripping assembly comprises:
• A. a second impact-element-set of one or more flexible impact-elements that are each disposed around the first rotation axis;
• and
• B. a second rotation-drive positioned and configured to rotate each impact-element of the second impact-element-set around the second rotation-axis so as to repeatedly drive a peripheral portion of each impact-element of the second impact-element-set across the substrate-plane;
• wherein the first and second stripping assemblies are configured so that during operation when substrate is present on the substrate plane:
• i. an impact element of the first impact-element-set collides with the substrate so as to rotate a portion of the substrate out of the substrate plane so that the rotated potion is partially dislodged from the remaining substrate portion;
• and
• ii. subsequently, an impact element of the second impact-element-set completely disengages the partially dislodged rotated portion of substrate from the remaining substrate portion.