Malek Mohamed Charif

6368189, Apr 9, 2002

Sep 3, 1999

09/390142

Gerard S. Maloney - Milpitas CA
Jason Price - Eugene OR
Scott Chin - Palo Alto CA
Jiro Kajiwara - Cupertino CA
Malek Charif - San Jose CA

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation - Tokyo

B24B 100

451 41, 451 63, 451288, 451398

A resilient pneumatic annular sealing bladder is coupled for fluid communication to a first pressurized pneumatic fluid to define a first pneumatic zone and is attached to a first surface of the wafer stop plate adjacent the retaining ring interior cylindrical surface to receive the wafer and to support the wafer at a peripheral edge. The resilient pneumatic annular sealing bladder defines a second pneumatic zone radially interior to the first pneumatic zone and extends between the first surface of the wafer stop plate and the wafer when the wafer is attached to the polishing head during a polishing operation and is coupled for fluid communication to a second pressurized pneumatic fluid. The wafer attachment stop plate is operative during non polishing periods to prevent the wafer from flexing excessively from an applied vacuum force used to hold the wafer to the polishing head during wafer loading and unloading operations.

6623235, Sep 23, 2003

Apr 11, 2002

10/120673

Chuckson Yokota - Fremont CA
Joseph Mann - San Jose CA
Jean-Pascal Rouland - Fremont CA
Malek Charif - San Jose CA
Ted Hwang - Mountain View CA

PRI Automation, Inc. - Chelmsford MA

B25J 1500

4147448, 294 991, 901 39

An edge gripping device for a robot arm grips and ungrips substrates, such as semiconductor wafers. A base is fixed to an end of the robot arm. A blade, having a distal contact location thereon, and a pusher bar, having preferably two proximal contact locations thereon, are movably mounted to the base via a linkage mechanism. The linkage mechanism includes two four-bar linkages. The first four-bar linkage has a stationary link and three movable links connected in a parallelogram configuration. The pusher bar is fixed to one of the movable links of the first linkage for movement therewith. The second four-bar linkage has a stationary link and three movable links connected in a trapezoidal configuration. The blade is fixed to one of the movable links of the second linkage for movement therewith. The two linkages share a stationary pivot point.

6913302, Jul 5, 2005

Apr 11, 2002

10/121152

Chuckson Yokota - Fremont CA, US
Joseph Mann - San Jose CA, US
Jean-Pascal Rouland - Fremont CA, US
Malek Charif - San Jose CA, US
Ted Hwang - Mountain View CA, US

PRI Automation, Inc. - Chelmsford MA

B66C001/42

2941031, 294907, 4147448, 901 39

An edge gripping device grips and ungrips a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer. A blade extends in a distal direction from a base of the device. At least one distal contact member is provided at the tip of the blade. Two proximal lever arms are pivotally coupled for synchronized, oppositely directed rotation to the base. Each lever arm has at least one proximal contact member at an outer end. A biasing member is coupled to the two proximal lever arms and to an actuator to effect pivoting movement of the lever arms. The pivoting motion moves the ends of the arms generally radially toward and away from the center of the substrate to be gripped or ungripped, thereby minimizing sliding of the substrate. The biasing member is biased to retain the lever arms in a closed position in the event of a power failure. Ramps are provided next to each contact member.

20020077045, Jun 20, 2002

Dec 20, 2001

10/027935

Gerard Maloney - Milpitas CA, US
Jason Price - Eugene OR, US
Scott Chin - Palo Alto CA, US
Jiro Kajiwara - Cupertino CA, US
Malek Charif - San Jose CA, US

MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION

B24B007/19
B24B005/00
B24B001/00

451/286000, 451/041000

A resilient pneumatic annular sealing bladder is coupled for fluid communication to a first pressurized pneumatic fluid to define a first pneumatic zone and is attached to a first surface of the wafer stop plate adjacent the retaining ring interior cylindrical surface to receive the wafer and to support the wafer at a peripheral edge. The resilient pneumatic annular sealing bladder defines a second pneumatic zone radially interior to the first pneumatic zone and extends between the first surface of the wafer stop plate and the wafer when the wafer is attached to the polishing head during a polishing operation and is coupled for fluid communication to a second pressurized pneumatic fluid. The wafer attachment stop plate is operative during non polishing periods to prevent the wafer from flexing excessively from an applied vacuum force used to hold the wafer to the polishing head during wafer loading and unloading operations.

20060128277, Jun 15, 2006

Jan 31, 2006

11/345199

Gerard Maloney - Milpitas CA, US
Jason Price - Eugene OR, US
Scott Chin - Palo Alto CA, US
Jiro Kajiwara - Cupertino CA, US
Malek Charif - San Jose CA, US

B24B 1/00
B24B 7/30

451041000, 451063000, 451398000

A resilient pneumatic annular sealing bladder is coupled for fluid communication to a first pressurized pneumatic fluid to define a first pneumatic zone and is attached to a first surface of the wafer stop plate adjacent the retaining ring interior cylindrical surface to receive the wafer and to support the wafer at a peripheral edge. The resilient pneumatic annular sealing bladder defines a second pneumatic zone radially interior to the first pneumatic zone and extends between the first surface of the wafer stop plate and the wafer when the wafer is attached to the polishing head during a polishing operation and is coupled for fluid communication to a second pressurized pneumatic fluid. The wafer attachment stop plate is operative during non polishing periods to prevent the wafer from flexing excessively from an applied vacuum force used to hold the wafer to the polishing head during wafer loading and unloading operations.

58511407, Dec 22, 1998

Feb 13, 1997

8/800941

Chris E. Barns - Portland OR
Malek Charif - Tempe AZ
Kenneth D. Lefton - Beaverton OR
Fred E. Mitchel - Phoenix AZ

Integrated Process Equipment Corp. - Phoenix AZ

B24B 500

451288

A carrier head for a semiconductor wafer polishing apparatus includes a rigid plate which has a major surface with a plurality of open fluid channels. A flexible wafer carrier membrane has a perforated wafer contact section for contacting the semiconductor wafer, and a bellows extending around the wafer contact section. A retaining ring is secured to the rigid plate with a flange on the bellows sandwiched between the plate's major surface and the retaining ring, thereby defining a cavity between the wafer carrier membrane and the rigid plate. A fluid conduit is coupled to the rigid plate allowing a source of a vacuum and a source of pressurized fluid alternately to be connected to the cavity.