Latch for detachably attaching and mounting a semiconductor wafer to a support ring

A latch for releasably holding a semiconductor wafer to a ring-support comprising:

• latch body having a pair of spaced apart, opposing walls defining a recess open at the top of the body and a radially reduced transverse passage communicating with the recess and the bottom of the body and defining a bottom to the recess;
• a post extending from the recess downwardly through the transverse passage in the body, the post having a blind passage in and communicating with its top;
• a pin detachably mounted to the post,
• a coupling device engagable with both the pin and the post to prevent rotation of the pin with respect to the post,
• a first portion on the pin adapted to seat in the blind passage;
• a radially enlarged second portion on the pin above the first portion;
• a ball bearing mounted on the second portion having an inner race and an outer race, the inner race being rotatable on the second portion,
• a radially enlarged spacer device on the second portion of the pin opposite the first portion,
• a head on the pin on the side of the spacer means device opposite the second portion extending radially outwardly to a position above but spaced away from the outer race of the ball bearing,
• a radially extending flange on the outer race of the bearing;
• a spring extending between the flange on the outer race of the ball bearing downwardly to the bottom of the recess in the latch body normally biasing the ball bearing against the spacer means device when the pin is mounted in the blind passage in the top of the post.

A latch for releasably holding a semiconductor wafer to a wafer supporting device comprising:

• a latch body,
• a mounting device for rotatably mounting the latch body on the wafer supporting device, the mounting device including,
• a ball bearing having an inner race and an outer race, the inner race being secured to the mounting device,
• the outer race being rotatably secured to the inner race,
• a resilient member between the ball bearing and the latch body normally biasing the ball bearing away from the latch body, and
• a first retainer device on the mounting device for preventing the separation of the ball bearing from the mounting device.