Dimensional compensating vacuum fixture
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRichard Ronald Hall, Francesco Marconi, Peter Michael Nichols
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Abstract
A vacuum fixture incorporating a vacuum suctioning device which may be employed in the manufacture of thin film chip carriers through the intermediary of retaining parts which are to be processed on the surface of a suction plate in a dimensionally compensating operative mode. A process is disclosed which may be employed in the manufacture of thin film chip carriers which is adhered in a dimensionally compensating manner to the surface of an interposer plate which is supported on a suction plate of a vacuum fixture.
Claims8
A method for retaining a workpiece on a surface of a vacuum fixture during processing of said workpiece while implementing dimensional compensation of distortions caused by thermal changes;
- said method comprising:
- (a) providing a frame structure housing a rigid porous plate;
- (b) connecting a vacuum line to a vacuum source communicating with said porous plate for creating a flow of suctioning air through said plate;
- (c) supporting an apertured interposer member on said porous plate, said apertured interposer member comprising a thin plate member having a coefficient of thermal expansion generally equal to that of the porous plate, and forming a thermal insulator between the workpiece and the porous plate, said workpiece being positionable on a planar upper surface of said interposer member and retained thereon in surface contact by a vacuum created by said suctioning air;
- and
- (d) arranging heat-controllable structure below said porous plate in operative engagement therewith, whereby controlling the thermal conditions of said structure selectively expands or contacts said porous plate in correlation with thermal distortions of said workpiece so as to dimensionally compensate said workpiece to facilitate accurate processing thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.