Chucks and methods for positioning multiple objects on a substrate
First Claim
1. An apparatus for positioning multiple objects in a selected configuration, each object having a thickness less than about three millimeters, comprisingan electrostatic chuck comprising:
- a conductive layer;
a first insulating layer; and
a substrate layer, wherein the substrate layer comprisesa multitude of conductive vias extending from a top of the substrate layer to a bottom of the substrate;
wherein the electrostatic chuck is activated by applying a bias voltage to the conductive layer, and wherein points on the outer surface nearest the vias define attraction points for positioning the objects.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to chucks and methods for positioning multiple objects, optionally for transport onto a recipient substrate. Instead of using conventional clamps that employ mechanical force, the present invention is directed to the use of a non-mechanical force such as negative pressure in a vacuum chuck, or static electricity in an electrostatic chuck as the force applied to the objects held by the chuck. Further, the chuck has a layer for holding the objects which are optionally subsequently transferred to a recipient substrate, the layer having a configuration substantially corresponding to the configuration of the recipient substrate. In certain aspects, the present invention is directed to a chuck for positioning objects with an average width or diameter less than or equal to one millimeter, and a thickness preferably less than about 3 millimeters, such as beads used in the chemical industry. In another aspect, the invention is directed to methods which involve the use of chucks, including methods for attracting an object or multiple objects, methods for positioning objects, methods for transporting objects, preferably substantially simultaneously, and methods of chemical manufacturing using the chucks.
245 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An apparatus for positioning multiple objects in a selected configuration, each object having a thickness less than about three millimeters, comprising
an electrostatic chuck comprising: -
a conductive layer; a first insulating layer; and a substrate layer, wherein the substrate layer comprises a multitude of conductive vias extending from a top of the substrate layer to a bottom of the substrate; wherein the electrostatic chuck is activated by applying a bias voltage to the conductive layer, and wherein points on the outer surface nearest the vias define attraction points for positioning the objects. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification