What is claimed is:
1. A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus comprising:
a polishing pad having a polishing surface; and
a deformable pad attached to the polishing pad, the deformable pad comprising a plurality of laterally isolation solid supports, wherein the solid supports are devoid of entrapped cells of gas or liquid.
2. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a substrate carrier, a polishing table, a first mechanical drive assembly for placing the polishing table in motion, and a second mechanical drive assembly for placing the substrate carrier in motion.
3. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deformable pad further comprises a ventral layer attached to the bottom surface of each of the plurality of solid supports.
4. The CMP apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a dorsal layer attached to the top surface of each of the plurality of solid supports.
5. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deformable pad further comprises a dorsal layer attached to the top surface of each of the plurality of solid supports.
6. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a ventral layer and a dorsal layer integrally formed with the plurality of solid supports.
7. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of solid supports comprises a first plurality of solid supports having a first shape and a second plurality of solid supports having a second shape.
8. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of solid supports comprises a first plurality of solid supports having a first size and a second plurality of solid supports having a second size.
9. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of solid supports comprises one or more elastically deformable materials.
10. The CMP apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one solid support of the plurality of solid supports comprises one or more materials of varying density.
11. The CMP apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one solid support of the plurality of solid supports comprises a plurality of materials, each material of the plurality of materials having a different elasticity.
12. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one solid support of the plurality of solid supports has a cross-section that varies in size in a direction normal to the polishing pad.
13. The CMP apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of solid supports are laterally spaced from each other at varying distances.
14. A method for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) comprising:
providing a CMP apparatus selected from a group consisting of a linear polishing apparatus and a polishing apparatus having a rotatable polishing table;
providing a deformable pad comprising a plurality of laterally isolated solid supports, wherein the solid supports are devoid of entrapped cells of gas or liquid;
providing a polishing pad attached to the deformable pad;
providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface to be polished; and
contacting the surface to be polished to the polishing pad.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the deformable pad comprising the plurality of solid supports comprises providing a deformable pad comprising a plurality of solid supports attached to a ventral layer.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the deformable pad comprising the plurality of solid supports attached to the ventral layer comprises providing a deformable pad including a plurality of solid supports attached to ventral and dorsal layers.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the deformable pad comprising the plurality of solid supports comprises providing a deformable pad comprising a plurality of solid supports attached to a dorsal layer.
18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
integrally forming the plurality of solid supports with at least one of a ventral layer and a dorsal layer.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
forming the plurality of solid supports with a first plurality of solid supports having a first shape and a second plurality of solid supports having a second shape.
20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
forming the plurality of solid supports with a first plurality of solid supports having a first size and a second plurality of solid supports having a second size.
21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
forming the plurality of solid supports with one or more elastically deformable materials.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
forming at least one solid support of the plurality of solid supports with one or more materials of varying density.
23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
forming at least one solid support of the plurality of solid supports with a plurality of materials, each material of the plurality of materials having a different elasticity.
24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
forming at least one solid support of the plurality of solid supports with a cross-section that varies in size in a direction normal to the polishing pad.
25. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
laterally spacing the plurality of solid supports from each other at varying distances.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A gripper for gripping and conveying of flat objects, in particular of printed products such as newspapers, magazines or brochures, or of small groups thereof, said gripper comprising:
a gripper body,
a first clamping tongue comprising clamping jaws at its distal end,
a second clamping tongue comprising clamping jaws at its distal end and being pivotable relative to the first clamping tongue about a pivot axis, and
a means for producing a clamping force,
wherein the gripper may be brought into an open and into a closed configuration by way of pivoting the first and second clamping tongues with respect to one another, wherein the clamping jaws of the two clamping tongues bear on one another or on a clamped object in the closed configuration, and are pressed against one another by the clamping force,
further comprising: two laterally extending arms arranged at least one of the two clamping tongues at its distal end, wherein the arms are resilient in a direction parallel to the clamping force, and
a clamping jaw with a contact surface provided on each of the arms, in a manner such that a clamped object is clamped in two clamping regions which are distanced from one another.
2. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein both clamping tongues at their distal ends comprise laterally arranged resilient arms with, in each case, a clamping jaw.
3. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws may be adapted to the opposite clamping jaw or to a clamped object, by way of the clamping force.
4. A gripper according to claim 3, wherein the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws are mounted on the arm via a ball joint.
5. A gripper according to claim 3, wherein the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws are mounted on the arms via an elastically deformable hollow profile, via an elastically deformable material or via a fluid.
6. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws are treated in a manner such that they act in an ink-repelling manner.
7. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws, at least of the one clamping tongue, lie in a plane aligned radially to the pivot axis.
8. A gripper according to claim 7, wherein the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws of the first clamping tongue lie in a plane aligned radially to the pivot axis and that the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws of the second clamping tongue form an angle with a plane aligned radially to the pivot axis, in a manner such that the contact surfaces of the clamping jaws of the two clamping tongues are aligned parallel to one another when an object of an average thickness is clamped between the clamping jaws.
9. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein the clamping jaws comprise a tubular carrier and are mounted onto the arms from the side.
10. A gripper according to claim 1, further comprising a locking means which is designed for locking the clamping tongues in the closed configuration.
11. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein the first clamping tongue is pivotable relative to the gripper body, in a manner such that the two clamping tongues are freely pivotable relative to the gripper body, at least in the closed configuration.
12. A gripper according to claim 10, wherein the second clamping tongue is fastened via a spiral spring on a shaft which is rotatably mounted in the first clamping tongue, wherein the spiral spring winds around the shaft.
13. A gripper according to claim 12, wherein the locking means engage on the first clamping tongue and on the shaft of the second clamping tongue.
14. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein an expander spring is provided, by way of which the two clamping tongues are held in the open configuration.
15. A gripper according to claim 1, wherein a gripper jaw depth makes up about 75% of the distance between the clamping jaws and the pivot axis.
16. A gripper according to claim 12, wherein the second clamping tongue is formed by a part of the spiral spring and that the arms are part of an attachment which is mounted onto the spiral spring in the distal region.
17. A gripper according to claim 16, wherein the attachment is made of a plastic material, and the spiral spring is made of spring steel.