Automatic wafer orienting apparatus

An apparatus for automatically orienting a wafer to a desired position, said wafer having a circular periphery provided with an orientation reference portion distinctively formed therein with respect to the other portion and with a pair of resultant edges formed in the periphery at the intersecting points between said orientation reference portion and the other portion, said apparatus comprising;

• a. a support plate for receiving and holding said wafer,
• b. a rotary head positioned on said support plate upon engagement with the periphery of said wafer to apply rotative movement of said wafer,
• c. an idler arranged on said support plate to be engageable with the periphery of said wafer at a point spaced apart from the point at which said rotary head engages the periphery of said wafer by a predetermined distance smaller than the diameter of said wafer,
• d. a guide abutment having a flat guide surface for guiding one of said the pair of edges in a linear direction positioned adjacent said rotary head on the opposite side of said rotary head to said idler so that said flat guide surface is spaced from a circle passing said two points and having a diameter equal to that of said wafer by a distance such that said one edge is engageable with said flat guide surface as said wafer is rotated, and
• e. means for impelling said wafer to abutting engagement at the periphery thereof with at least two of said rotary head, said idler and said guide

An apparatus for automatically orienting a wafer to a desired position, said wafer having an orientation reference peripheral portion distinctively formed with respect to the other peripheral portion and having a pair of resultant edges formed in the periphery at the intersecting points between said orientation reference portion and the other portion, said apparatus comprising;

• a. a support plate having a support surface for receiving and holding said wafer,
• b. a plurality of holes provided through said support plate to be switchable between pressure and vacuum,
• c. pump means associated with said the plurality of holes upon application of pressure thereto for floating said wafer from said support surface when the wafer is rotated to said desired orientation position, and upon application of vacuum thereto at the time when the orientation operation of the wafer is completed for securing said wafer in said position to said support surface,
• d. a rotary head positioned on said support plate upon engagement with the periphery of said wafer for applying rotative movement to said wafer while said wafer is being slightly floated from said support surface,
• e. an idler arranged on said support plate in spaced apart relation to said rotary head to define an area of movement of said wafer as it is rotated by said rotary head while it is being floated from said support surface;
• and
• f. a guide abutment having a flat guide surface for guiding one of said the pair of edges in a linear direction positioned adjacent said rotary head on the opposite side of said rotary head to said idler to interact with said one edge in such a manner that as the wafer is rotated by said rotary head while it is being floated from said support surface, said edge strikes said flat guide surface at a point from which it is slidingly moved along said flat guide surface to a certain point where said rotary

An apparatus for automatically orienting a wafer to a desired position, said wafer having a circular periphery provided with an orientation reference portion distinctively formed therein with respect to the other portion and with a pair of resultant edges formed in the periphery at the intersecting points between said orientation reference portion and the other portion, said apparatus comprising;

• a. a support plate having a support surface for receiving and holding said wafer,
• b. a plurality of holes provided through said support plate,
• c. pump means associated with said the plurality of holes upon application of pressure thereto for floating said wafer from said support surface when the wafer is rotated to said desired orientation position, and upon application of vacuum thereto at the time when the orientation operation of the wafer is completed for securing said wafer to said support surface in said desired orientation position,
• d. a rotary head positioned on said support plate upon engagement with the periphery of said wafer to apply rotative movement to said wafer while said wafer is being floated from said support surface,
• e. an idler arranged on said support plate to be engageable with the periphery of said wafer at a point spaced apart from the point at which said rotary head engages the periphery of said wafer by a predetermined distance smaller than the diameter of said wafer, so that the rotation of said wafer is guided as it is rotated, while said wafer is being floated from said support surface;
• and
• f. a guide abutment having a flat guide surface for guiding one of said the pair of edges in a linear direction, while said wafer is being floated from said support surface, positioned adjacent said rotary head on the opposite side of said rotary head to said idler so that said flat guide surface is spaced from a circle passing said two points and having a

An apparatus for automatically orienting a wafer to a desired position, said wafer having an orientation reference peripheral portion distinctively formed with respect to the other peripheral portion and having a pair of resultant edges formed in the periphery at the intersecting points between said orientation reference portion and the other portion, said apparatus comprising;

• a. a support plate having a support surface for receiving and holding said wafer;
• b. a rotary head positioned on said support plate upon engagement with the periphery of said wafer to apply a rotative movement to said wafer,
• c. an idler arranged on said support plate in spaced apart relation to said rotary head to define an area of movement of said wafer as the wafer is rotated by said rotary head,
• d. a guide abutment having a flat guide surface for guiding one of said pair of edges in a linear direction positioned adjacent said rotary head on the opposite side of said rotary head to said idler to interact with said edge in such a manner that as the wafer is rotated by said rotary head, said edge strikes said flat guide surface at a point from which it is slidingly moved along said flat guide surface to a certain point where said rotary head imparts no more substantial rotative movement to said wafer, and
• e. means for floating said wafer from said support surface during at least the duration of rotation of said wafer in the course of orientation operations to reduce the friction force between said support surface and