David Thomas Marquardt
Engineers at 38 Pl, Phoenix, AZ

6758939, Jul 6, 2004

Aug 31, 2001

09/943699

David Marquardt - Phoenix AZ
Wayne Lougher - Phoenix AZ
Stephen C. Schultz - Gilbert AZ

Speedfam-Ipec Corporation - Chandler AZ

B24B 100

15634514, 451 51

A laminated wear ring for a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus provides improved control of the removal rate of material from the edge of a wafer during a polishing/planarization operation. The laminated wear ring includes a high stiffness stainless steel base and a plastic laminate. The high stiffness stainless steel base avoids flexing of the wear ring during polishing and thus provides control of the flexing of a polish pad against which the wafer surface is pressed. The plastic laminate protects the stainless steel base from attack by the polishing slurry and provides a buffer that protects the stainless steel base from mechanically damaging the wafer and vice versa.

6796887, Sep 28, 2004

Nov 13, 2002

10/293875

David Marquardt - Phoenix AZ

SpeedFam-IPEC Corporation - Chandler AZ

B24B 100

451286, 451398, 451397, 451 53, 451 59, 451 11

A wear ring assembly is provided for use in a workpiece (e. g. a semiconductor wafer) polishing apparatus. The wear ring assembly comprises a wear element and a backing ring. The backing ring includes a fulcrum and is configured to transfer a component of pressure applied to the backing ring to the wear element via the fulcrum. In this manner, a substantially uniform vertical displacement of the wear ring is achieved.

7354335, Apr 8, 2008

Apr 9, 2004

10/821758

David T. Marquardt - Phoenix AZ, US
Joe E. Koeth - Chandler AZ, US
James Jed Crawford - Chandler AZ, US
James Ekberg - Tempe AZ, US
Antoni F. Jakubiec - San Jose CA, US
Michael D. Smigel - Phoenix AZ, US
John F. Stumpf - Phoenix AZ, US

Novellus Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

B24B 49/00

451 11, 451285, 451331, 414783, 414936, 414941

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a load cup mechanism is provided for loading and unloading apparatus such as a CMP apparatus. The load cup mechanism, configured to load a work piece into and to unload a work piece from the apparatus, comprises a load cup arm configured to pivot about an axis between a load position aligned with the apparatus and an off-load position. A work piece platform is coupled to an end of the load cup arm and a plurality of lift fingers and a plurality of guide fingers, configured to support and center a work piece, are spaced about the work piece platform. A plurality of guide posts are spaced apart about the periphery of the work piece platform and are configured to align the work piece platform, in the load position, to the processing apparatus.

7229339, Jun 12, 2007

Jul 2, 2004

10/884371

John F. Stumpf - Phoenix AZ, US
Franklin D. Root - Phoenix AZ, US
Brian Severson - Chandler AZ, US
David Marquardt - Phoenix AZ, US
John Derwood Herb - Phoenix AZ, US
James Jed Crawford - Chandler AZ, US
Rand Conner - Chandler AZ, US
Jasent Montano - Chandler AZ, US
Kevin Bertsch - Gilbert AZ, US
Robert Marshall Stowell - Wilsonville OR, US
Edmund Minshall - Sherwood OR, US
Timothy Cleary - Portland OR, US

Novellus Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

B24B 5/00

451 8, 451 41, 451285

Methods and apparatus are provided for the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of a surface of a work piece. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the apparatus comprises a plurality of CMP systems, a plurality of load cups for loading unprocessed work pieces into and unloading processed work pieces from the plurality of CMP systems, a plurality of cleaning stations for cleaning processed work pieces unloaded from the CMP systems, and a single robot configured to transfer unprocessed work pieces to the plurality of load cups and to transfer processed work pieces from the load cups to the plurality of cleaning stations.