| US 7,559,446 B2 | ||
| Automated dicing tool for semiconductor substrate materials | ||
| Pierre-Luc Duchesne, Shefford (Canada); Pierre Laroche, Rock Forest (Canada); Nicolas Tessier, Granby (Canada); Roch Thivierge, Granby (Canada); and Stephane Vanier, Granby (Canada) | ||
| Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US) | ||
| Filed on Dec. 22, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/275,319. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2490849 (CA), filed on Dec. 22, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0143908 A1, Jul. 06, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. B26F 3/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 225—96.5 [225/2] | 10 Claims |
| 1. An apparatus for subdividing or singularizing a sheet of brittle insulating material having scribe lines in a surface thereof
into a plurality of rectangular pieces comprising:
a fluidic pressure applying chamber supporting a flexible, elastic and resilient membrane;
a flexible, elastic conformable carrier for supporting the sheet of brittle insulating material having a plurality of lines
scribed in a surface thereof, positioned on said membrane;
a mechanical arm for positioning a rigid convex, arched anvil above the said carrier in a first position;
a drive mechanism for applying a fluidic force in said chamber to expand said membrane to force the conformable carrier and
any sheet contained therein to conform to the arch of said anvil to fracture the contained sheet along the lines scribed in
the sheet:
a pressure release for removing said force from said chamber;
a mechanical actuator for raising said anvil above said carrier;
wherein said conformable carrier comprises a substantially flat base having a wall enclosed central portion for supporting
the sheet of brittle material to be subdivided; and an upper carrier element having an open grid pattern formed by a first
set of spaced parallel ribs and a second set of spaced parallel ribs with said second set being arranged perpendicular to
said first set.
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