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This design of a unique non contact chuck, was a part of a much larger scale design and engineering project of a wet processing machine for the semiconductor industry. The client requested Vertex to design, engineer and produce a scalable new chuck that can hold the wafer from the bottom end and at the same time process the same side which the wafer is held from. We had strict instructions not to have any contact with the top side of the wafer, due to sensitive semiconductor design on that side, therefore the name “Non Contact Chuck”. This unique design had to overcome and avoid collision of the wafer’s holding fingers with the process module while scanning the wafer above it. This resulted in holding fingers behaving like Millipede legs. Challenges in this design were enormous. The chuck had to spin 360 degrees, travel on the Z axis, pressurize the top side of the wafer with air to prevent any liquid from getting to the top side, as well as, pneumatically control and actuate each finger at the right time. Great project to work on, great challenge and great results.

In an effort to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, the U.S. Army announced today that it has named the 2010 eCYBERMISSION national first-place teams. Managed by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., the eCYBERMISSION program awarded more than $1 million to students from across the nation and in Department of Defense Education Activity schools overseas. To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/ecybermission/44116/

charles @ work biomedical engineering.