A process of providing abrading workpieces using an abrading machine floating workpiece substrate carrier apparatus comprising:
- a.) providing a workpiece substrate carrier frame moveable in a vertical direction that supports an attached rotatable workpiece carrier spindle having a hollow rotatable carrier drive shaft that has a vertical rotatable carrier drive shaft axis of rotation;
- b) providing a rotatable drive housing having a rotatable drive housing rotation axis where the rotatable drive housing is attached to the rotatable carrier drive shaft wherein the rotatable drive housing rotation axis is coincident with the rotatable carrier drive shaft axis of rotation;
- c) providing a rotatable flexible annular elastomeric tube device having an axial length, an annular top surface, an annular bottom surface and an axis of rotation that extends along the axial length wherein the elastomeric tube device annular bottom surface is moveable relative to the elastomeric tube device annular top surface;
- d) providing a floating circular rotatable workpiece carrier plate having a workpiece carrier plate top surface, an opposed nominally-horizontal workpiece carrier plate flat bottom surface, a workpiece carrier plate rotation axis that is nominally-perpendicular to the workpiece carrier plate flat bottom surface and a workpiece carrier plate outer periphery annular surface located between the workpiece carrier plate top and bottom surfaces;
- e) attaching the rotatable annular elastomeric tube device annular top surface to the rotatable drive housing and attaching the elastomeric tube device annular bottom surface to the workpiece carrier plate top surface wherein the elastomeric tube device axis of rotation is nominally-coincident with the vertical rotatable carrier drive shaft axis of rotation;
- f) providing at least one nominally-horizontal rotatable nominally-circular flexible support element having at least one individual flexible arm wherein each arm has a first proximal end secured to a central support ring, and a second distal end connected to the respective first proximal end by a flexing joint, wherein the distal end is flexible in a vertical direction but is stiff in a direction that is tangential to the nominally-circular flexible support element and wherein the flexible support element has a nominally-vertical rotatable flexible support element rotation axis located at the center of the nominally-circular flexible support element;
- g) attaching the at least one rotatable nominally-circular flexible support element central support ring to the rotatable drive housing and attaching the at least one flexible support element distal end to the floating circular rotatable workpiece carrier plate wherein the at least one rotatable flexible support element rotation axis is coincident with the rotatable drive housing rotation axis, and wherein the at least one rotatable nominally-circular flexible support element is rotated by the rotatable drive housing to provide rotation of the workpiece carrier plate, and wherein the workpiece carrier plate is movable vertically in a direction along the workpiece carrier plate rotation axis by flexing the at least one individual flexible radial arm in a vertical direction;
- h) providing at least two rotatable idlers having rotation axes wherein the rotatable idlers have outer periphery cylindrical surfaces that are rotatable about the rotatable idlers rotation axes;
- i) attaching the at least two rotatable idlers to the movable workpiece substrate carrier frame wherein the at least two respective rotatable idler's outer periphery cylindrical surfaces are in contact with the floating circular workpiece carrier plate outer periphery annular surface, wherein the at least two rotatable idlers maintain the floating circular workpiece carrier plate rotation axis to be nominally concentric with the carrier drive shaft axis of rotation;
- j) providing that the floating circular workpiece carrier plate is moveable in a nominally-vertical direction along the floating circular workpiece carrier plate rotation axis wherein the at least two respective rotatable idler's outer periphery cylindrical surfaces are in vertical sliding contact with the floating circular workpiece carrier plate outer periphery annular surface;
- k) attaching at least one workpiece having opposed workpiece top and bottom surfaces to the workpiece carrier plate flat bottom surface;
- l) providing a rotatable abrading platen having a flat abrasive coated abrading surface that is nominally horizontal;
- m) moving the workpiece substrate carrier frame and the attached workpiece carrier spindle vertically to position the flat workpiece bottom surface of at least one workpiece that is attached to the workpiece carrier plate flat bottom surface close to flat-surfaced abrading contact with the rotatable abrading platen abrading surface after which the movable workpiece substrate carrier frame and the workpiece carrier spindle are held stationary at that position and wherein the workpiece carrier plate is moved in a vertical direction relative to the stationary workpiece substrate carrier frame by adjusting the pressure in the sealed enclosed elastomeric tube device pressure chamber wherein the at least one workpiece bottom surface is positioned in flat-surfaced abrading contact with the rotatable abrading platen abrading surface.