Patents

US 9564378 B2: Detection of lost wafer from spinning chuck

Granted
2017-02-07
Filed
2014-12-10 application 14566109
Type
Utility · 13 claims
Elsewhere
Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗

Abstract

The disclosure relates to systems and methods for detecting when a microelectronic substrate is no longer properly secured or lost from a rotating chuck. A microelectronic substrate may be secured to a rotating chuck that may rotate the substrate when exposing the substrate to the chemicals during a treatment in a process chamber. The rotating chuck may include one or more detectors to detect the position of a gripping mechanism that secure the microelectronic substrate. The detectors may generate an electrical signal that correlates to the position of the microelectronic substrate. When the electrical signal(s) exceed a threshold the system may stop rotating the chuck to prevent additional damage to the process chamber.

Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg170207.xml).

Assignees

AssigneeTypePlaceAlso on furp.orgSource
TEL FSI, INC. 34 patentsUS company or organizationChaska, MNPVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10

Inventors

InventorPlacePatentsPerson pageSource
Alan D. RoseWylie, TX13PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10
Michael GruenhagenNorwood Young America, MN3PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10

CPC categories

SubclassCategoryFirst groupSource
H01LSemiconductor devices not covered by class h10H01L21/68728PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10
H10PGeneric processes or apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of devices covered by class h10H10P74/238PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10

Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).

Assignments and security interests

RecordedWhatFromToReel/frameSource
2020-07-30Correction
Conversion
TEL FSI, INC. signed 2019-12-31TEL MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING OF AMERICA, INC. CHASKA, MN53366/139PASDL, file of 2026-10-15
2015-02-12Assignment
Assignment of assignor's interest
GRUENHAGEN, MICHAEL signed 2015-02-11
ROSE, ALAN D. signed 2015-02-11
TEL FSI, INC. CHASKA, MN34946/616ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25

Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.

USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.