Back to results
US 8,267,831 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for washing, etching, rinsing, and plating substrates
AssigneeWestern Digital Technologies, Inc.
InventorsGerald L. Olsen, Lee Ping Huang, Leslie Ramsay Betin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus comprises a gear mechanism for imparting planetary motion about a central axle to a plurality of mandrels used for holding substrates in a process bath. The plurality of mandrels are mounted to a pair of end plates, the mandrels and end plates collectively comprise a carousel that rotates about the central axle. Each mandrel is also capable of selective rotation about their own mandrel axis parallel to the central axle. The substrates are held by the mandrels at their inner apertures.
Claims19
An apparatus having an immersible rotatable carousel for wetting a plurality of disks which are supported on at least one disk support mandrel, comprising:
- a support frame having an immersible section;
- a central axle fixedly mounted on said support frame;
- a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on said central axle, said first mandrel support plate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced bearing apertures therein, said second mandrel support plate having a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending recesses which are circumferentially aligned with said bearing apertures;
- a sun gear fixedly mounted to said first mandrel support plate;
- a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation on said frame;
- a plurality of disk support mandrels each having a first bearing end received in one of said bearing apertures and a second bearing end received in one of said recesses, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form a rotatable carousel;
- and
- drive means for rotating said sun gear attached to said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said sun gear causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates.
5 more elements
An apparatus having an immersible rotatable carousel for wetting a plurality of disks which are supported on at least one disk support mandrel, comprising:
- a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on a central axle;
- a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation around said central axle;
- a plurality of disk support mandrels, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form said rotatable carousel;
- and
- a drive means for rotating said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said first mandrel support plate causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates.
2 more elements
A method of wetting a plurality of disks using an apparatus having an immersible, rotatable carousel, comprising:
- providing at least one process tank filled with a solution;
- providing the apparatus having the immersible rotatable carousel, said apparatus including a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on a central axle, a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation around said central axle, a plurality of disk support mandrels, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form the rotatable carousel, and a drive means for rotating said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said first mandrel support plate causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by a striker assembly having a striker pin and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates;
- providing at least one disk mounted on one of said plurality of mandrels;
- mounting said apparatus having said rotatable carousel into said process tank having said solution such that said striker assembly causes said striker pin to couple to said ring gear to prevent the ring gear from rotating;
- actuating said drive means to rotate said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel to cause said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of rotation around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by said striker pin.
2 more elements
A method of wetting a plurality of disks using an apparatus having an immersible, rotatable carousel, comprising:
- providing a first process tank filled with a first solution and a second process tank filled with a second solution;
- providing a striker support block in said second process tank;
- providing the apparatus having the immersible rotatable carousel, said apparatus including a first mandrel support plate and a second mandrel support plate mounted for rotation in unison on a central axle, a rotatable ring gear mounted for selective rotation around said central axle, a plurality of disk support mandrels, said mandrels being supported by said first mandrel support plate and said second mandrel support plate to form the rotatable carousel, and a drive means for rotating said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel, wherein rotating said first mandrel support plate causes said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said mandrels each having a mandrel axis that extends generally parallel to said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of selective rotation around their own mandrel axis, wherein each of said mandrels having a mandrel gear affixed thereto and said mandrel gears having teeth in meshing engagement with external teeth on said rotatable ring gear such that said mandrels rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by the striker assembly having a striker pin and do not rotate around their own axis when said ring gear selectively rotates;
- providing at least one disk mounted on one of said plurality of mandrels;
- mounting said apparatus having said rotatable carousel into said first process tank having said first solution such that said striker assembly causes said striker pin to couple to said ring gear to prevent the ring gear from rotating;
- actuating said drive means to rotate said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel to cause said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said plurality of mandrels being capable of rotation around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is prevented from rotating by said striker pin;
- mounting said apparatus having said rotatable carousel into said second process tank having said second solution such that said striker assembly is actuated by said striker support blocks causing said striker pin to uncouple from said ring gear to allow said ring gear to rotate;
- actuating said drive means to rotate said first mandrel support plate of said rotatable carousel to cause said plurality of disk support mandrels to rotate around said central axle, said plurality of mandrels do not rotate around their own mandrel axis when said ring gear is rotating.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.