Wafer chuck
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsIkuo Ogasawara, Yoshiyasu Kato
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wafer chuck is provided with a plurality of pins which protrude and retreat in a plurality of through holes formed in a vertical direction on a mounting table, and an ascending/descending mechanism for ascending and descending the pins. The wafer chuck receives a wafer by protruding the pins from the mounting plane of the mounting table. On each upper end surface of the pin, a receiving surface part is provided for substantially not making a gap between the pin and each of the corresponding through holes and a mechanism for aligning the receiving surface part with the mounting surface is provided.
Claims10
A wafer chuck comprising:
- a plurality of pins, each of which protrudes and retreats via a through hole formed in a vertical direction in a mounting table, each of the pins including at a top end thereof a receiving surface part which virtually makes no gap between each of the pins and the through hole;
- a joint member for supporting the pins;
- an ascending/descending mechanism for ascending and descending the joint member to thereby protrude and retreat the pins, the wafer chuck being configured to receive or deliver a wafer by protruding the pins above a mounting surface of the mounting table;
- and
- a mechanism for aligning the receiving surface part of each of the pins to be flush with the mounting surface, wherein the mechanism includes a supported surface part formed below the receiving surface part of each of the pins, a supporting part formed in the through hole to be contacted with the supported surface part, and a pressing arrangement for making the supported surface part constantly contact the supporting part, and
- wherein the pressing arrangement includes a first pressing mechanism for biasing the joint member, and a second pressing mechanism provided at each of the pins for biasing each of the pins.
A wafer chuck comprising:
- a plurality of pins, each of which protrudes and retreats via a through hole formed in a vertical direction in a mounting table, each of the pins including at a top end thereof a receiving surface part which virtually makes no gap between each of the pins and the through hole;
- a joint member for supporting the pins;
- an ascending/descending mechanism for ascending and descending the joint member to thereby protrude and retreat the pins;
- a mechanism for aligning the receiving surface part to be flush with the mounting surface, wherein the mechanism includes a supported surface part formed below the receiving surface part of each of the pins, a supporting part formed in the through hole to be contacted with the supported surface part, and a pressing arrangement for making the supported surface part constantly contact the supporting part;
- and
- a number of cylinder mechanisms provided around the mounting table, each cylinder mechanism including a vertically moving receiving part, and the wafer chuck being configured to deliver and receive a wafer supported by a dicing frame by protruding the receiving part above the mounting surface of the mounting table, and
- wherein the pressing arrangement includes a first pressing mechanism for biasing the joint member, and a second pressing mechanism formed at each of the pins for biasing each of the pins.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.