Dec 20 2012
Rubicon Technology, Inc., a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical industries, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed Rubicon’s patent application entitled, “Ultra-Flat, High-Throughput Wafer Lapping Process.”
The patent covers Rubicon’s process developed to perform grinding and polishing to achieve consistent, ultra-flat and defect-free surface quality for the high-volume production of large diameter sapphire wafers.
Rubicon’s customers in the LED and SoS/RFIC markets have very demanding requirements for the quality of sapphire wafers used in their applications. The patent addresses the quality and flatness challenges inherent in the production of sapphire wafers at larger diameters. The patented ultra-flat, high-throughput lapping process enables Rubicon to achieve high levels of flatness and quality while maintaining the highest levels of throughput in the production of large diameter sapphire wafers. As wafers are lapped and polished, the platens facing the wafers become worn and deformed, leading to the deterioration of wafer quality. In the patented process, the platens are continuously self-conditioned and self-optimized to maintain high performance.
“Rubicon continues to build its patent portfolio and increase its technological leadership throughout the sapphire wafer manufacturing process,” said Raja M. Parvez, President and CEO of Rubicon Technology. “This patent underscores our dedication to improving the large-diameter sapphire manufacturing process and improving the leading technology platform for the high-throughput production of high-quality large diameter sapphire wafers for our customers.”