Polishing apparatus for smoothing diamonds
AssigneesBoard of Trustees of Michigan State University, Fraunhofer USA, Inc.
InventorsAaron HARDY, Timothy A. GROTJOHN, Edward K. DROWN, Michael BECKER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A polishing apparatus is provided. Another aspect pertains to a self-leveling polishing apparatus for smoothing diamonds. Yet another aspect of the present system uses a ball and swivel joint in a diamond polishing machine. A further aspect employs a polishing apparatus including a diamond-holder, an elongated arm using gravity to apply downward polishing pressure of the diamond workpiece against a polishing wheel, and a sweeping transmission to cause the holder to radially move across the rotating polishing wheel.
Claims23
A diamond polishing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a holder configured to temporarily secure a substrate, with an epitaxial diamond film grown on the substrate, the diamond film having a thickness less than 50 microns;
- (b) a shaft upwardly extending from the holder;
- (c) a sealed, ball and socket joint coupling the shaft to the holder;
- (d) a substantially horizontally elongated arm including a receptacle within which is mounted the shaft;
- (e) an actuator-driven polishing lap;
- (f) gravity acting on the arm causing the holder to push toward the lap;
- and
- (g) an actuator-driven transmission causing the arm to move the holder in a radial sweeping motion between inner and outer portions of the lap during polishing.
A diamond polishing apparatus comprising:
- (a) a diamond workpiece;
- (b) a dop removably holding the diamond workpiece during polishing;
- (c) a shaft extending from the dop;
- (d) a ball and socket joint coupling the shaft to the dop;
- (e) an elongated arm mounted to the shaft, the arm being offset angled from the shaft;
- (f) a tub;
- (g) a polishing lap having a circular periphery;
- (h) a lap actuator rotating the lap in the tub;
- (i) a motorized dop actuator rotating a portion of the dop about its centerline axis during the polishing;
- and
- (j) an aqueous slurry located on the lap to assist with the polishing.
A method for polishing a diamond workpiece, the method comprising:
- (a) attaching the diamond workpiece to a holder;
- (b) rotating a lap below the holder;
- (c) self-leveling the diamond workpiece relative to the lap via a ball and socket joint of the holder to allow uniform material removal without lensing of the diamond workpiece;
- (d) pushing the holder and the diamond workpiece toward the lap only with gravity and with downward polishing forces being less than 5 kg/cm2, during the polishing;
- (e) the holder being retractable from the lap in a manual and tool-free manner;
- and
- (f) automatically radially sweeping the holder between inner and outer portions of the lap, during the polishing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.