Bernoulli pickup head with self-restoring anti-tilt improvement

Claim 2

Pickup apparatus of the Bernoulli type for lifting an article for support thereby, said article having a predetermined planar surface, said apparatus comprising: a pickup head, central main orifice means disposed on said pickup head and adapted to be coupled to a positive pressure gas supply, said main orifice means providing a gas flow discharge therefrom towards said predetermined planar surface for effecting the lifting and support of said article, and at least three auxiliary orifice means disposed on said pickup head in a predetermined symmetrical manner about said main orifice means and adapted to be coupled to a positive pressure gas supply, said auxiliary orifice means providing gas flow discharges therefrom towards said predetermined surface for effecting a restoring torque to said article whenever said planar surface becomes tilted in any direction with respect to said pickup head.

Claim 3

Pickup apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said main orifice means and each of said auxiliary orifice means comprise single orifices.

Claim 4

Pickup apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said auxiliary orifice means are disposed in a first plane and said main orifice means is disposed in a second plane parallel to said first plane, said first plane being more remote than said second plane with respect to said predetermined planar surface.

Claim 5

Pickup apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said main orifice means and said auxiliary orifice means are adapted to be coupled to a common positive pressure gas supply.

Claim 6

Pickup apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said article comprises a semiconductor wafer having a predetermined configuration.

Claim 7

Pickup apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said predetermined configuration is circular.

Claim 8

Pickup apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said pickup head further comprises a first lower and a second upper cylindrical and concentrically aligned sections, said first section having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said second section, said first section further having said main orifice means concentrically disposed thereon and being adapted to be juxtaposed to said predetermined planar surface and in concentric alignment therewith, said second section having said auxiliary orifice means disposed thereon and being adapted to juxtaposed to said planar surface.

Claim 9

Pickup apparatus of the Bernoulli type for lifting a circular planar semiconductor wafer for support thereby, said wafer having a predetermined diameter magnitude and a predetermined planar surface for coacting with said apparatus, said apparatus comprising: a pickup head having upper, middle and lower cylindrical sections concentrically aligned about a common vertical axis of said head, said upper, middle and lower sections having first, second and third diameter dimensions, respectively, of decreasing magnitude, said second diameter dimension being substantially equal to said wafer diameter magnitude, a central orifice disposed on said lower section concentrically about said central vertical axis and in facing relationship to said planar surface at the center of said wafer, and at least three auxiliary orifices disposed on said middle section in a predetermined symmetrical manner about said central orifice and in facing relationship to said planar surface between the circumferential periphery and center of said wafer, and means for coupling said main and auxiliary orifices to a positive pressure gas supply, said main orifice providing a gas flow discharge therefrom towards said planar surface at the center of said wafer for effecting the lifting and support of said wafer, said auxiliary orifices providing gas flow discharges therefrom towards said predetermined surface between said circumferential periphery and center of said wafer for effecting a restoring torque to said wafer whenever said planar surface becomes tilted with respect to said head.

Claim 10

Pickup apparatus of the Bernoulli type for lifting a circular planar semiconductor wafer for support thereby, said wafer having a predetermined diameter magnitude and a predetermined planar surface for coacting with said apparatus, said apparatus comprising: a pickup head having upper, middle and lower cylindrical sections concentrically aligned about a common vertical axis of said head, said upper, middle and lower sections having first, second and third diameter dimensions, respectively, of decreasing magnitude, said second diameter dimension being substantially equal to said wafer diameter magnitude, a central orifice disposed on said lower section concentrically about said central vertical axis and in facing relationship to said planar surface at the center of said wafer, and at least three auxiliary orifices disposed on said middle section in a predetermined symmetrical manner about said central orifice and in facing relationship to said planar surface between the circumferential periphery and center of said wafer, and means for coupling said main and auxiliary orifices to a positive pressure gas supply, said main orifice providing a gas flow discharge therefrom towards said planar surface at the center of said wafer for effecting the lifting and support of said wafer, said auxiliary orifices providing gas flow discharges therefrom towards said predetermined surface between said circumferential periphery and center of said wafer for effecting a restoring torque to said wafer whenever said planar surface becomes tilted with respect to said head.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for coupling further comprises: a first central bore disposed in said upper and middle sections concentrically about said center axis, a second central bore disposed in said middle and lower sections concentrically disposed about said center axis, said second central bore connecting said main orifice to said first central bore, and a plurality of pairs of vertical and radial bores, the vertical and radial bores of each particular pair being interconnected with respect to each other and disposed in said middle section to connect a mutually exclusive middle one of said auxiliary orifices to said first central bore, said first central bore being connectable to said positive pressure gas supply.

Claim 12

Pickup apparatus according to claim 9 further comprising: means to restrict the lateral motion of said wafer under said head.