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A pressure sensing structure for measuring a local pressure on a surface of a wafer and a wafer carrier for communicating with the wafer is disclosed. The pressure sensing structure includes a conductive via extending through the wafer, a pressure transducer electrically connected to a first side of the conductive via, and a connector arranged in electrical contact with a second side of the conductive via. Further, a wafer incorporating multiple such pressure sensing structures is disclosed. In addition, a pressure sensing structure further including integrated circuitry in electrical contact with the pressure transducer and a conductive via is disclosed. The pressure sensing structure is well suited for use in sensing pressure variations throughout the surface of the wafer when a selected wafer layer is undergoing a chemical mechanical polishing operation.
1. An apparatus for measuring a local pressure on a surface of a wafer while the wafer is subjected to a chemical mechanical polishing process, the apparatus comprising:
a wafer having a front side provided with a surface to be subjected to the local pressure, a back side provided with a substrate, a pressure sensing structure between the surface and the substrate for generating information related to the local pressure on the surface, and conductive vias extending from the structure through the substrate to the back side;
a chemical mechanical polishing unit for applying pressure to the surface of the wafer at the front side of the wafer;
conductive pads connected to the conductive vias for collecting the information related to the local pressure from the pressure sensing structure; and
sensor circuitry effective during operation of the chemical mechanical polishing unit for determining the magnitude of the local pressure from the information related to the local pressure.
2. An apparatus for measuring as recited in claim 1, wherein the chemical mechanical polishing unit has operating parameters, and wherein the sensor circuitry is further effective during operation of the chemical mechanical polishing unit for setting the operating parameters of the chemical mechanical polishing unit to attain desired pressure distributions across the surface of the wafer.
3. A wafer carrier for chemical mechanical polishing of a pressure transducer wafer having a a front side defining a surface for receiving the chemical mechanical polishing and pressure during the chemical mechanical polishing, a back side comprising a substrate, a conductive via extending through the substrate from a first side adjacent to the front side to a second side adjacent to the back side, and a conductor pad assembly on the back side and arranged in electrical contact with the second side of the conductive via, the wafer carrier comprising:
a first surface configured to receive the back side of the wafer while allowing the surface of the front side of the wafer to be exposed for receiving the chemical mechanical polishing and pressure;
a second surface configured to be coupled with a chemical mechanical polishing machine that applies the pressure to the surface of the wafer; and
a plurality of wafer carrier conductive pads located on the first surface, selected ones of the plurality of wafer carrier conductive pads being arranged to electrically connect to at least the conductor pad assembly of the wafer when the wafer is received by the first surface of the wafer carrier.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuit fabrication and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for measuring in-situ pressure across a semiconductor wafer during chemical-mechanical polishing of the wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the fabrication of semiconductor devices, wafers are typically processed through a number of well known process operations. Some of the conventional process operations include oxide deposition operations, metallization sputtering operations, photolithography operations, etching operations and various types of planarization operations. Because a semiconductor device is fabricated as a multi-level device that may have a number of metallization levels (and oxide levels interdisposed), the need to planarize some of the layers before a next layer is applied becomes very apparent, particularly when the topographical variations start to increase. Consequently, if the topographical variations become too pronounced, the fabrication of additional levels may become restrictive, in that the topographical variations can limit the degree of precision needed to fabricate dimension sensitive integrated circuit devices.
One common planarization technique is referred to as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). FIG. 1A shows a simplified drawing of a CMP apparatus 100 that is used to planarize various material layers that may be applied to a wafer 102 during a fabrication process. As is well known, CMP apparatus 100 includes a robot arm 108 that has a wafer carrier 106 for handling the wafer 102 during a polishing operation. As shown, the actual planarization of the wafer 102 occurs when the robot arm 108 lowers the wafer carrier 106 down to a polishing pad 104. To complete a planarization operation, polishing pad 104 is usually conditioned (to maintain the polishing pad's texture) before each new planarization operation is performed, and a polishing slurry having a specific pH level is applied to the surface of polishing pad 104 and is selected according to the type of material to be planarized. Once the polishing pad 104 is rotating at a given rpm, the wafer carrier 106 is lowered and placed in contact with the polishing pad 104. Once contact is made with the polishing pad 104, the CMP apparatus 100 will supply an offsetting back pressure BP to a back surface 103 of the wafer 102. A particular polishing rate will be attained depending upon the polishing pad and wafer surface material characteristics, and the offsetting back pressure.
FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of a substrate 121 of the wafer 102 during a stage of the fabrication process prior to a CMP operation. The substrate 121 includes an oxide layer 122 upon which various structures 124 have been formed. Typically, in the fabrication of a single layer, multiple structures are formed with varying widths, geometric shapes and separations from one another. After the formation of structures 124, the fabrication process typically includes depositing an oxide layer 126 over the structures 124. As can be seen in FIG. 1B, after deposition, the surface of oxide layer 126 is not smooth but rather characterized by an irregular topography. The particular topography is driven by the underlying structures, particularly by the width, shape and separation between the structures. For example, although structure 124c and structure 124d span similar widths, FIG. 1B shows that the topography of oxide layer 126 overlying each of these devices differs. Of course, other geometric structures cause variations in the topography of oxide layer 126 that are different from those shown.
When wafer 102 is subjected to CMP to planarize the surface of oxide layer 126, the pressures experienced by that surface may vary across the surface corresponding to the particular topography. As is well known, these varying pressures will necessarily cause different polishing rates across the surface being planarized. These variations can be reduced with a CMP machine and process that is configured to programmably control the offsetting back pressure that is applied through a wafer carrier to the back side of a wafer. An example of such a CMP machine and process can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/956,836 titled "Methods and Apparatus for Polishing Wafers" which is incorporated herein by reference.
Conventionally, the various CMP machine parameters for given structures and corresponding topography of a wafer are set by experimental testing. For example, a test wafer is typically placed within the CMP machine, and by trial and error the CMP parameters are modified until the appropriate settings are established. Unfortunately, the nature of this process may require several wafers to be successively used and likely destroyed within the CMP machine. In addition, because of the trial and error nature of the process, this process is time-consuming. For example, not only must various wafers be placed in and taken out of the CMP machine, but also the CMP machine parameters must be iteratively changed until the proper pressures and parameters are found for the correct polishing for that particular wafer topography. Further, this is done not only the first time such a topography is to be used in the CMP machine, but is also repeated after maintenance is performed on the machine, because such maintenance and re-calibration will typically alter the characteristics of the CMP processing. Additionally, the CMP machine parameters may change slowly over time through use of the machine, resulting in undesired polishing of wafers. Unfortunately, when this occurs the experimental testing may again need to be repeated to re-calibrate the process to the wafer.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method and apparatus for setting CMP parameters more quickly and less expensively.
Broadly speaking, the present invention fills these needs by providing an apparatus and method for monitoring the local pressure across a wafer, the local pressure data then being used to identify efficiently the appropriate CMP parameters needed for the particular structure on the wafer. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device or a method. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below.
In one embodiment, a pressure sensing structure for measuring a local pressure on a surface of a wafer, includes a conductive via extending through the wafer, a pressure transducer that is electrically connected to a first side of the conductive via, and a connector arranged in electrical contact with a second side of the conductive via.
In another embodiment, a pressure sensing structure for measuring a local pressure on a surface of a wafer, includes a conductive via extending through the wafer, a pressure transducer that is electrically connected to a first side of the conductive via, a voltage measuring device in electrical contact with the pressure transducer, an analog to digital converter in electrical contact with the voltage measuring device, a multiplexer in electrical contact with the analog to digital converter and the first side of the conductive via, and a connector arranged in electrical contact with a second side of the conductive via.
In yet another embodiment, a wafer includes multiple pressure sensing structures as described above.
One advantage of the present invention is that the pressure encountered by a wafer surface can be monitored while the pressure is applied to that surface. More specifically, the local pressure encountered by the wafer surface near a pressure sensing structure can be monitored during chemical mechanical polishing of the wafer, in situ. An additional advantage of the present invention is that through the in situ monitoring various parameters of the CMP machine can be set to attain desired pressure distributions across the wafer surface. This leads to less time and money used to set up CMP machines for processing, at the initiation of processing a new wafer design, after maintenance, and for periodic monitoring.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
The present invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements.
FIG. 1A depicts a chemical mechanical polishing machine of the prior art.
FIG. 1B depicts a cross-sectional view of a wafer at a point in a fabrication process before chemical mechanical polishing.
FIG. 2A shows a top view of a wafer incorporating pressure sensing structures according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2B shows a top view of a wafer incorporating pressure sensing structures according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A through 3H depict a cross-sectional view of a partially fabricated wafer at different stages of a fabrication process, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4A shows a bottom view of the wafer shown in FIG. 2A, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of a portion of the wafer shown in FIG. 4A, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a pressure sensing structure within a wafer, according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 depicts a wafer carrier and related apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
An invention for measuring in-situ pressure across the wafer during CMP processing is disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be understood, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
One way that is employed to measure pressure that is encountered by a surface, is to fabricate pressure transducers into the surface. A pressure transducer includes two metal portions separated by a cavity. These metal portions are oriented such that when a pressure to be measured is applied to the transducer, the distance between the metal portions across the cavity changes. If a current is supplied between the metal portions across the cavity, this change of distance across the cavity changes the capacitance, which can be detected by monitoring the change in voltage through the metal portions. By calibrating the pressure transducer, these voltage changes can be used to determine the pressure applied to the transducer. Therefore, by fabricating multiple pressure transducers across a surface, a distribution of pressure across the surface can be detected.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a wafer is provided that incorporates pressure transducers on the surface of the wafer, the pressure transducers being electrically connected to contact pads on the back side of the wafer. These contact pads are configured to cooperate with electrical connections on a CMP machine wafer carrier which are themselves electrically connected, for example through the robot arm, to a sensor device which can use the signals received from the pressure transducers to determine the pressure encountered by the wafer during CMP.
FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of a wafer 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 2A depicts the arrangement of multiple pressure transducers 202 on the wafer surface 204. Here, pressure transducers 202 are arranged in a crosswise manner on wafer 200. The number and arrangement of pressure transducers across wafer surface 204 can be varied depending on the particular application, and more specifically, according to the pattern of underlying structures in the wafer layer for which the CMP is to be calibrated. For example, for a particular underlying structure pattern, it may be desired to measure the pressure experienced by the wafer surface on a gross level across two axes of the wafer surface. Such measurement could be performed by a monitor wafer having the pressure transducer pattern shown in FIG. 2A. On the other hand, more detailed and localized pressure information may be needed for other types of underlying structure patterns. For example, FIG. 2B illustrates a pressure transducer arrangement according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A-3H illustrate a process for forming a single pressure sensing structure 300, including a pressure transducer 202, within wafer 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Although the following discussion specifically describes the formation of a single pressure sensing structure 300, each operation can be performed in each of the locations across the wafer where a pressure sensing structure or other device is desired. Thus, for example, when patterning of a metallization layer to form a transducer element is described, other transducer elements can be formed on that same layer, during the same operation.
FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of a silicon substrate 302 covered on both a front side and a back side with silicon nitride layers 304 and 306, respectively. Silicon nitride layers 304 and 306 can be formed by any suitable process including a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process. Silicon nitride layers 304 and 306 can be deposited separately, for example by depositing a layer to one side of the wafer, turning over the wafer, and then depositing a layer to the other side. Alternatively, silicon nitride layers 304 and 306 can be formed in the same operation by suspending the substrate in a chamber and depositing silicon nitride to both exposed surfaces of the substrate. By way of example, such simultaneous application can be performed using a horizontal furnace deposition process. Although silicon nitride layers 304 and 306 can typically have a thickness that ranges between about 2,000 Å and about 10,000 Å, a preferred thickness of about 5,000 Å works well.
The fabrication continues with processing the back side of wafer 200. As shown in FIG. 3B, the fabrication includes the formation of a through-hole 308 through silicon nitride layer 306 and silicon substrate 302. Through-hole 308 is formed by first spin coating a photoresist layer (not shown) over silicon nitride layer 306 and patterning the photoresist material to form a photoresist mask, using any number of well known techniques including conventional photolithography. Once the photoresist mask has been formed, a plasma etching operation is performed to remove the portion of silicon nitride layer 306 that is not covered by the photoresist mask. Although any plasma etcher may be used, one exemplary plasma etcher is a Lam Research TCP 9600 SE etcher, that is available from Lam Research of Fremont, Calif.
During this etch, silicon nitride layer 304 can be protected, if desired, by covering silicon nitride layer 304 with a protective photoresist coating. The photoresist overlying silicon nitride layer 306 and, if used, a photoresist layer over silicon nitride layer 304, are next stripped. Afterwards, silicon substrate layer 302 is etched through to silicon nitride layer 304 in the region where silicon nitride layer 306 was etched, thus forming through-hole 308. The etching of silicon substrate layer 302 can be accomplished with any suitable process that is selective to silicon nitride layer 304. For example, the etch can be performed with an anisotropic potassium hydroxide (KOH) etch process which is highly selective to silicon nitride, thus substantially limiting the etch to silicon substrate 302. The through-hole can have a width substantially in the range of about 5 to about 50 microns, with a preferred width of about 25 microns.
FIG. 3C depicts a cross-sectional view of wafer 200 after the walls of through-hole 308, formed of silicon substrate layer 302, have been oxidized to form oxide sidewalls 310. While oxide sidewalls 310 can be formed to a thickness substantially within the range of about 500 Å to about 5,000 Å, they are preferably about 1,000 Å thick. Oxide sidewalls 310 can be formed by any suitable process known to those of skill in the art. For example, the wafer can be exposed to oxygen or water vapor, respectively, in a wet or dry oxidation process. An adhesion layer 312 is next deposited over oxide sidewalls 310, the adhesion layer being further covered with a seed layer 314. Adhesion layer 312 can be formed of any suitable material, such as chromium. A preferred thickness for the adhesion layer 312 is between about 200 Å and about 1,000 Å, and most preferably about 500 Å. Likewise, seed layer 314 can be formed of any suitable material such as copper, gold or nickel. Through-hole 308 is then electroplated with through-hole fill layer 316, which can be nickel, copper, gold, aluminum or any other suitable material, thus forming the multi-layer conductive via 317, as shown in FIG. 3D. After the electroplating is performed, the backside of wafer 200 is planarized utilizing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The CMP process is preferably stopped at silicon nitride layer 306.
Other techniques used for making conductive vias are described in the articles entitled "A Plated Through-Hole Interconnect Technology in Silicon," by Maha A. S. Jaafar and Denice D. Denton in Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 144, No.7, p. 2490; and "Wafer Through-Hole interconnections with High Vertical Wiring Densities," by Carsten Christensen, et al., in IEEE Transactions of Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology, Part A, Vol. 19, No. 4, December 1996, p. 516, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The formation of the pressure transducer in wafer 200 continues with processing the front side of wafer 200, beginning with a CMP operation on the front side, if necessary. This CMP operation may not be necessary if the surface of silicon nitride layer 304 is planar after all above described processing of the back side of wafer 200 has been completed. Once silicon nitride layer 304 is planar, silicon nitride layer 304 is etched down to conductive via 317 to form a contact 318 as shown in FIG. 3E. After the photoresist mask used to etch silicon nitride layer 304 is stripped off, a metal stack is deposited over silicon nitride layer 304, and filling contact 318. Preferably, an aluminum and titanium nitride combination is used to form the metal stack, but any suitable material known to those skilled in the art can also be used alternatively. The metal stack is then etched to form a lower transducer element 320, providing a first conductive portion of the transducer, depicted in FIG. 3F. Lower transducer element 320 can have a thickness substantially in the range of about 4,000 Å to about 10,000 Å, with a thickness of about 7,500 Å working well. The photoresist mask used to form lower transducer element 320 is then stripped, after which a dielectric layer such as intermetalic oxide (IMO) layer 322 is deposited over the lower transducer element 320. While IMO layer 322 can be substantially in the range of about 4,000 Å to about 10,000 Å thick, a thickness of about 8,000 Å works well.
IMO layer 322 is then patterned and etched to form various vias to the patterned metal stack. These vias include a cavity 324, shown in FIG. 3G, extending through IMO layer 322 to the portion of the patterned metal stack forming lower transducer element 320. Cavity 324 preferably has a diameter that ranges from about 1 to about 20 microns, and more preferably has a diameter that is about 3 microns. A tungsten plug layer (not shown) is deposited over oxide layer 322 and into cavity 324 to provide mechanical support for a subsequently formed upper transducer element 328. The tungsten is then polished by CMP substantially to the IMO layer 322, such that substantially the only remaining tungsten fills cavity 324 (i.e., which forms tungsten plugs). An upper metal layer is next applied over IMO layer 322 and the tungsten filled cavity 324. The upper metal layer is then etched to form upper transducer element 328, providing a second conductive portion of the transducer, which mostly but not completely overlies cavity 324 that is filled with tungsten.
Having provided mechanical support for the formation of upper transducer element 328, the tungsten must be removed from cavity 324 before a next layer is deposited over IMO layer 322 and upper transducer element 328. Therefore, a portion of the tungsten that fills the cavity 324 is left exposed to enable a basic solvent chemical (that is used as part of a standard resist strip operation) to come in contact with the tungsten which fills cavity 324. When tungsten is used to fill the cavity, it is desired that the solvents have a pH greater than about 10; for example, an ST 26 solvent can be used. It should be understood that cavity fill material other than tungsten can be used, as long as a solvent can be used that will dissolve the cavity fill material which substantially will not dissolve IMO oxide layer 322 and upper transducer element 328 during the immersion. Of course, during the immersion, the photoresist mask used to etch the upper metal layer is also stripped.
For more information on forming pressure transducers in a semiconductor wafer, reference can be made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/995,500 (Attorney Docket No. VTI1P181) entitled "Semiconductor Pressure Transducer Structures and Methods for Making the Same" filed on Dec. 22, 1997 by Subhas Bothra, et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,968 issued Jul. 27, 1999 which is incorporated herein by reference.
The front side of wafer 200 is then capped with a silicon nitride layer 330, thus enclosing cavity 324. Thus, pressure transducer 202 is completed, including upper and lower transducer elements 328 and 320, and cavity 324 between the two transducer elements. Silicon nitride layer 330 can be substantially in the range of about 1,000 Å to about 5,000 Å thick, with about 3,000 Å working well. Alternatively, any other suitable material can be used to cap the front side of wafer 200, however, it is preferable that the material be somewhat resistant to the polishing process to be monitored in the CMP machine. For example, when a oxide polishing process is to be monitored, a silicon nitride layer works well. In addition, any process of forming silicon nitride layer 330 can be used, such as a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process.
It should be understood that throughout the above described operations, the etching of the various layers also includes the formation of metallization patterns and conductive vias which result in electrical contacts to the upper transducer element 328, which extends through silicon nitride layer 306 to the back side of wafer 200. By providing such connection, there is no need for a connection through the front side, which would be inconsistent with usage during a CMP operation.
To complete the structure of the wafer according to the present invention, a metal layer is then deposited over silicon nitride layer 306. The metal used is preferably the same material forming through-hole fill layer 316, and can be in a range of about 1 to about 3 microns thick, and most preferably about 1.5 microns thick. This metal is then etched to form a patterned metallization feature, here shown as a connector 332 in FIG. 3H, in electrical contact with conductive via 317. Although not shown, an inter-connection (as shown in FIG. 4B) is also formed to complete electrical connection to the upper transducer element 328, which extends through interconnect structures down to the silicon nitride layer 306. Thus, for each set of the upper and the lower transducers formed in wafer 200, electrical connections to each are routed down to the backside of wafer 200.
In the embodiment described above, each layer of features to be formed by photolithography advantageously has characteristics which lend themselves well to one shot masks. For example, a reticle that contains the pattern desired for the entire wafer surface at that particular layer being formed, can be used to define the photoresist mask of the entire wafer surface at one time. Thus, the time and cost of fabricating a wafer according to the present invention can be minimized.
In the example shown in FIG. 3H, a local pressure P is shown applied to silicon nitride layer 330 that lies over upper transducer element 328 and cavity 324. With the application of local pressure P, the upper and lower transducer elements move closer together in the region of cavity 324, changing the capacitance between the upper and lower transducer elements. Further, this change in capacitance can be measured through the electrical connections to the upper and lower transducer elements. By measuring the new capacitance, the magnitude of the pressure P can be accurately determined.
FIG. 4A shows a bottom view of wafer 200. Connectors 332 overlying conductive vias 317, which connect to pressure transducers 202, are patterned to connect conductive via 317 electrically with conductive pins, shown here as primary contact pads 336. In the depicted embodiment, for each pressure transducer there is also a connection (not shown) to the upper transducer element, each of which electrically connect the pressure transducer to a single secondary contact pad 337.
For ease of understanding, FIG. 4B shows an enlarged view of a portion of the back side of wafer 200 shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4B more clearly shows the form of connector 332. Although connectors 332 can take the form depicted in FIG. 4B, they may take any suitable form that provides electrical connection with primary contact pads 336. It is to be understood that secondary contact pad 337 is connected, through the wafer layers, to the upper transducer element. With this configuration, pressure can be measured from a single transducer using a pair of pads 336 and 337.
With these two pads per pressure transducer, sixteen primary contact pads 336 and sixteen secondary contact pads 337 are provided for sixteen pressure transducers 202. Primary contact pads 336 and secondary contact pads 337 are arranged on the back side of wafer 200 such that they can provide electrical connection through the wafer carrier of the CMP machine to sensing equipment (shown in FIG. 6), for receiving, processing, and recording the pressure transducer 202 information. Alternatively, the wafer can be fabricated without contact pads, with connectors 332 to the conductive vias 317 and the connections (not shown) to the upper transducer elements directly providing electrical connection to the wafer carrier.
In embodiments such as described above, where two contact pads are needed for each pressure transducer used, the number of pressure transducers 202 that can be incorporated across wafer 200 is limited by the number of contact pads and connectors 332 that can be fit on the back side of wafer 200. Further, the mounting arm of the CMP machine may have a limited area available to connect to the contact pads. For example, a wafer having a diameter of about eight inches, could accommodate approximately up to 50 pressure transducers.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the number of pressure transducers used can be increased without increasing the number of contact pads necessary on the back side of wafer 200. This is accomplished with additional integrated circuitry in the wafer, which can pre-process inputs from a number N pressure transducers and output the processed data corresponding to the multiple pressure transducers, through a number of contact pads 336 which is less than N. FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating this embodiment of the present invention. Each pressure transducer is connected to a separate voltage measuring circuit 502 which measures the capacitance across the pressure transducer. Thus, for example, a first voltage measuring circuit 502a measures the capacitance C1 from a first pressure transducer (not shown). Also, a multiplexer and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 504 is provided which receives the measured data output from the voltage measuring circuits 502. The multiplexer/ADC 504 then operates on the analog capacitance information received, and outputs digital capacitance information on output lines 506.
Due to the multiplexer properties, the number of output lines 506 from multiplexer/ADC 504 is dependent only upon the measuring resolution desired, and can be significantly less than the number of pressure transducers from which information is received. For example, where the maximum measured voltage is one volt, a resolution of 1:16 can be achieved with four outputs. Likewise, using five output lines would achieve a 1:32 resolution, whereas six output lines would achieve a 1:64 resolution, and so on. The capacitance from each pressure transducer can be successively output using all of the output lines. For example, in the system shown in FIG. 5, the four lines can be used first to output a digital signal representative of the capacitance C1 of the first pressure transducer. Afterwards, the same four lines would be used to output a digital signal representative of the capacitance C2. The same then can be done for each of the pressure transducers coupled with the multiplexer/ADC 504, through Cn. The sensing equipment connected to the back side of the wafer through the wafer carrier would then be configured to interpret the digital signals and from them determine the pressures applied to the wafer. Thus, for the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 having a resolution of 1:16, four output lines 506, one ground line 508, and one power line 510 could be used. Thus, a total of six lines and thus six contact pads can be used to obtain pressure data from an N number of pressure transducers, where N may be significantly greater than six. Thus, in this embodiment of the present invention, significantly more pressure transducers can be included across the wafer surface. Although any number of pressure transducers that can fit on the wafer surface can be used, in one embodiment 100 pressure transducers works well.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a wafer carrier 602 is provided to be used in conjunction with the CMP monitoring wafer of the present invention. As discussed above with reference to the related art, a wafer carrier holds the wafer in a CMP machine, with the back side of the wafer in contact with the wafer carrier. Because the embodiments of the CMP monitoring wafer discussed above incorporate connectors to contact pads 336 and 337 on the back side of wafer 200, a wafer carrier 602 can be provided which provides electrical connection from contact pads 336 and 337 to a sensor 606 located separately from wafer 200. In accordance with this embodiment of the present invention, the wafer carrier 602 has a first surface that receives and is in contact with the back side of the wafer during the CMP process. This first surface includes multiple wafer carrier conductive pads 608, at least some of which correspond in arrangement to the contact pads of the wafer. Thus, during operation, each of the contact pads of the wafer electrically connects to a wafer carrier conductive pad 608. Further, electrical connectors 610 are incorporated in wafer carrier 602, with one end of each electrical connector 610 being electrically connected to one of the wafer carrier conductive pads 608. Another end of each electrical connector 610 can then be used to provide electrical connection to the sensor 606 that is located outside of wafer 200. By way of example, electrical connectors 610 can be connected to wires 612 routed through a robot arm 604 of the CMP machine which holds wafer carrier 602. Wires 612 can be further routed to sensor 606 for determining the pressures encountered by the wafer, with sensor 606 mounted alongside the CMP machine. Sensor 606 may also be connected to a computer 614 for manipulation, recording or monitoring of the pressure information from wafer 200.
Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.
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UNLV track & field's MacKenna Howard finished seventh overall in the shot put at the Texas Relays.
UNLV track & field's distance medley relay team shaves nearly 11 seconds off program's previous top time.
UNLV track & field's Auzsane Crowe-Carter takes sixth in the 1500m at the Texas Relays.
UNLV track & field's Destiny Smith-Barnett was named the Mountain West's Track Athlete of the Week.
UNLV track & field's MacKenna Howard notched the program's second-best outdoor performance mark in the shot put.
UNLV track & field's Cortney Miller registered a personal-best measurement in the hammer throw.
UNLV track & field welcomes nine collegiate squads and world-class athletes to two-day meet.
UNLV track & field sees six returners notch personal best in seven events this weekend.
UNLV track & field hosts its own Randall Cunningham Track Classic this weekend.
UNLV track & field claimed two victories and four second-place showings to earn MW honors.


text:
A two-stage building method and apparatus for making an uncured tire including winding on shoulder wedge and sidewall components from strip material on a first stage building drum, winding on gum cushion on a band building drum and making up sequential breaker packages for second stage application to the tire.
1. In a method of making a tire where a band to make up the tire carcass is formed by adding gum strip to an inner liner which is covered with a ply to form the band which is then transferred to a first tire building position for the addition of sidewall, shoulder wedge and beads from which position there is transfer to a second tire building position for final shaping of the uncured tire and the addition of breakers and tread rubber, the improvement comprising: forming the sidewall and shoulder wedge by applying a plurality of turns of elastomer strip to obtain their shape on the carcass at the first tire building position.
2. The method of claim 1 including the step of placing breakers of finite length in tire building payoff sequence.
3. The method of claim 2 including the step of transporting the breakers of finite length in said sequence to the second tire building position.
4. The method of claim 3 including the step of cutting said finite length breakers from a continuous length of material.
5. The method of claim 4 including the step of sequencing the continuous length breakers in tire building payoff sequence.
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 869,517 filed on May 30, 1986, now abandoned.
This invention relates to tire manufacture and a system therefor and more particularly to method and apparatus for building tires of multiple components and even more particularly for accomplishing the above in two-stage building without storage of components.
Two stage tire building with a first stage tire building drum in combination with a second stage tire building drum is well known and established in the art with the building drums being both in line and offset from each other. It is further known to have two-stage tire building with a single drum swinging between the first stage position and the second stage position where a band builder is in line with the first stage building drum. For this system, individual breaker application and single piece tread rubber are applied at the second stage while components such as apex chafers and shoulder wedges are applied at the first stage. The above components are made in separate operations and stored for use as needed in the two-stage building process.
It is also well known to use a strip applier to place a continuous strip as by lamination or spiral winding onto a tire to accumulate the necessary rubber for the tire tread. Further it is known to use a particular shape of ribbon for the above process and to use a strip applier for applying sidewall and sidewall scuff rib to the tire from a cold feed extruder supplying the strip to the strip applicator.
While the two-stage building process in its separate stages accommodated servers for the various components, it presented the problems of requiring a large work area for the two separate positions and the need to coordinate the separate functions as well as bringing all of the components together at the proper stations. As a result, the components were often stored and became subject to aging, sometimes losing their tack, for example, during the handling of the individually applied components. Moving the tire subassemblies from one stage to another has been a highly labor intensive operation even with the use of mechanical servers to assist operators in placing the components on the tire on the first and second stage drums. As a result, the operation was costly.
The present system overcomes the above problems by reducing the manual labor replacing it with machine operation to substantially reduce the cost of building a tire by bringing many machine operations for building the tire together in an efficient operation and layout which reduces the space requirement with emphasis on making the tire components as they are needed, and to be applied, to overcome the aging problem while facilitating quick changeover for size and type of tire. Accordingly, the present invention provides a system for building tires having a carcass building station, a breaker station and a tire building station which mechanically functions with the carcass and breaker stations, each of which are mechanized, resulting in automation of tire building; the carcass building station including a solid surface, means for supplying and winding a strip of elastomer onto the solid surface to form a layer of a desired contour; means for supplying an elastomer band for wrapping over the top of the layer formed by the elastomer strip; means for extruding and winding elastomer strip in the form of a tire component from an extruder and applicator onto the elastomer band; the tire building station including a tire building drum capable of expanding the carcass to toroidal shape; means for laminating tread material onto the carcass on the drum; means for translating the carcass by removing it from the carcass building station and placing it on the tire building drum, and expanding the tire carcass; the breaker station including means for cutting finite lengths of various desired materials and widths, and sequencing the finite lengths of material in payoff order for accumulation into a breaker package; means for sequentially supplying the material in the breaker package to form a breaker for a tire; means for conveying the breaker to the tire carcass on the tire building drum; and means for applying the breaker onto the tire carcass. Further, the present invention provides a new and improved method and apparatus for producing tires and a more efficient and compact system. More particularly, method and apparatus is provided for two-stage tire building without storage of components for the tire. The method of making a tire includes making a band for the tire carcass which is formed by adding gum strip to an inner liner which is covered with a ply to form the band which is then transferred to a first tire building position. Sidewall, shoulder wedge, and beads are then added to the first position from which position there is a transfer to a second tire building position. At the second tire building position final shaping of the uncured tire occurs and the addition of breakers and tread rubber is accomplished. The sidewalls and the shoulder wedge rubber are wound on from a continuous source of strip rubber onto the carcass at the first tire building position.
Also contemplated is a method of making a tire where a band thereof forms a carcass by adding gum strip to an inner liner which is covered with a ply to form the band which is then transferred to a first tire building position. At the first tire building position, sidewalls, shoulder wedge and beads are added from which position there is a transfer to a second tire building position for final shaping of the uncured tire. At the second building position breakers and tread rubber are added. A plurality of breakers are maintained in tire building sequence and applied in sequence to the shaped tire at the second tire building position by feeding them automatically through an in-line server.
Apparatus for building a tire includes a band builder for forming the carcass band made by adding gum strip to an inner liner which is covered with a ply. A first stage building drum for adding sidewall, shoulder wedge, and beads to the tire is furnished along with a first transfer device to transfer the band to the first stage building drum. A second stage building drum is furnished for shaping the tire to its final uncured shape and applying breakers and tread rubber to the tire. A second transfer device then transfers the tire from the first stage building drum to the second stage building drum. A breaker server applies the breaker to the second stage building drum and a tread applier applies tread to the second stage building drum while a strip applier is furnished for alternately winding on sidewalls and shoulder wedges to the tire on the first stage building drum.
Also contemplated is apparatus for building a tire including a band builder for forming the carcass band which is made by adding gum strip to an inner liner covered with a ply. A first stage building drum adds sidewall, shoulder wedge, and beads to the tire. A first stage transfer device transfers the band to the first stage building drum. A second stage building drum shapes the tire to its final uncured shape and breakers and tread rubber are applied to the tire on the second stage drum. A second transfer device transfers the tire from the first stage building drum to the second stage building drum and a tread applier applies tread to the second stage building drum while an in-line server automatically applies breakers in sequence to the second stage building drum.
The features of the present invention will be more clearly understood when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a method of building a tire in accordance with the present invention;
FIGS. 2-7 are schematics of the breaker sequence in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a schematic of apparatus for applying the accumulated breakers of FIG. 1 to a second stage building drum;
FIG. 9 is a schematic of apparatus for winding on the sidewall and shoulder wedge material of FIG. 1 onto the first stage building drum;
FIG. 10 is a plan view or schematic layout of a first stage complex according to the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a partial section of a band building drum with the center portion broken away and a band thereon; and
FIG. 12 is an elevational view of a server for the band building drum taken along lines 12--12 of FIG. 10.
Referring now to the drawings, the block diagram of FIG. 1 illustrates a method according to the present invention wherein the steps of blocks 10-16 operate in parallel along with the steps of blocks 18-24, the result of both of which are joined in the step of block 26 to complete the building of an uncured tire in block 28. The steps of blocks 10-16 are directed at the building of a band to form the tire carcass and its subsequent treatment at a first stage building position. The first step is to build a band for a tire carcass including inner liner, gum strip, and a ply. Band building is old and well known in the art and there are a number of ways known to build bands including the use of a belt or a collapsible drum to which is applied the inner liner in the form of a continuous sheet of material generally unreinforced and similarly the ply which is generally reinforced is also applied in the form of a continuous sheet of material, the sheet material being supplied from a calender operation or the like. Preferably in the present invention a solid drum is used for band building and the gum strip added between the inner liner and the ply is strip material which can be wound onto the inner liner in any desired contour. Further an over ply of strip material can be wound on over the top of the ply. A chipper is added in the usual manner.
The portion of the carcass built on the band builder is then transferred to a first stage building drum as indicated by the step in block 12.
At the step illustrated by block 14 the conventional operations of loading beads to the first stage builder and expanding the drum occur while the band is loaded on an expander which is brought in line with the first stage building drum where upon a pull on ring clamps the band and pulls it onto the first stage building drum. The above conventional steps having occurred plus the further conventional steps of swab down and bead set and apex bead stitching, etc., it is preferred to strip laminate shoulder wedges onto the tire carcass. At this point conventional bladder turnup occurs followed by preferably strip laminating on sidewall material after which conventional application of chafer occurs. Finally, the first stage building drum is collapsed and a transfer of the carcass to a second stage building drum occurs as indicated in block 16 of FIG. 1.
A preferred embodiment of band and first stage building will now be described with reference to FIGS. 10-13 illustrating a carcass building station or first stage complex for large tire building. This embodiment is one of three found necessary for building a range of tires from nominal diameter of 24" to 57" where apparatus limitations required different equipment for building size 12.00-24 to 18.00-33 tires, still other equipment for size 21.00-35 to 40.5/75R39 tires and finally the embodiment described below for size 24.00-49 to 4000R57 tires. To make equipment adjustable to build tires over a range larger than those above was found impractical.
In FIG. 10 a plan view is presented of the carcass building station. Shown thereon are a band building drum 70 having a head stock or main drive 72 for rotating the drum about its cylindrical axis. The drum 70 has a solid surface for band building which is collapsible. Adjacent the drum 70 is a laminator or strip applicator 74 having movement toward the drum 70 and along its surface parallel to the cylindrical axis of the drum 70. Elastomeric strip is supplied to the drum from a 41/2" cold feed extruder 76 after passing the strip over cooling drums 78 to present the strip at an acceptable temperature for application to the drum 70.
The strip applying technique is best illustrated in FIG. 11 which schematically presents the laminated barrier or gum cushion layer 80 as being composed of strip material wound onto the drum 70 one pass against another as the drum 70 is rotated about its axis. The strip material may be laid flat and one on top the other or at an angle which may range from flat to vertical; i.e., 90� to the surface of the drum, to thereby facilitate contouring the surface of the gum cushion. While the contour of the gum cushion varies over the length of the drum, the dotted line in FIG. 11 represents generally the distribution over the length of the drum 70 with the greater portion of material being toward the center of the drum 70 surface and lesser portions at the ends and directly at the center (not illustrated).
Also adjacent the drum 70 on the side opposite from the applicator 74 are a server 82 and stitcher 84 shown schematically in FIG. 10. The stitcher 84 is conventional having rollers (not shown) which traverse the surface of the drum 70 to remove trapped air from beneath a component being applied to the drum 70 thereby assuring uniform application of the component to the drum 70. Both a liner and a ply are provided to the drum 70 by the server 82. FIG. 11 best illustrates the liner in layer 86 which may be a single band of material or a band made up of multiple turns of material. Where the layer 86 is particularly wide, the band may be spirally applied over the drum 70 surface in the direction of its cylindrical axis.
The server 82 is best illustrated in FIG. 12 together with a portion of the strip applicator 74. Due to the large size of the drum 70 a superstructure is provided around it and for support of an `A` frame 88 carrying a spool 90 of material for the tire ply 92 which material is a band of reinforced (such as by cord) material and a take-up roll 94 for collecting a backup liner 96 inserted between the layers of material in the spool 90 to assure their separation. The `A` frame 88 is shown in an elevated position with two phantom positions as standby and alternate material sources for changeover. The elevated position permits the spool 90 to supply material to the conveyor 98 driven by drive assembly 100 and having a pivotal end portion 102 for generally tangential placement of the ply material onto the surface of the drum 70. Another drive assembly 104 positions the end portion 102 with respect to varying drum diameters. Placing the ply conveyor over the drum 70 permits a spool 106 with tire liner 108 thereon to be placed below the conveyor 98. The spool 106 is carried on a truck 110 and also has a takeup roll 112 similar to the `A` frame 88. A liner applier 114 is moveable toward and away from the drum 70 to apply the liner 108. FIG. 12 also depicts a band transfer unit 116 for removing the band from the drum 70 by passing over the drum 70 and engaging the band with suction cups 118. As best seen in FIG. 10, the band transfer unit 116 moves between the drum 70 and a band expander 120 onto which the band is deposited.
Returning to FIG. 11, the band built on the solid drum 70 can be seen to be a composite of liner 86, laminated barrier 80, ply 92 and, as an alternative, laminated squeegee or overply 122 which is made up, in the manner described above for the laminated barrier, of strip material which can be layered and/or angled one against the other to form the overply 122. As a further alternative, the liner 86 may be deleted and the ply 92 can be comprised of multiple bands of reinforced material.
Returning to FIG. 10 the band expander 120 can be seen to have a turret 124 for rotating the band expander 120 there about to a position illustrated in phantom wherein it is aligned with a band pull-on 126. The band pull-on is capable of engaging the band, after it has been expanded to its desired diameter on the expander 120, to pull it over a first stage building drum 128, shown in phantom when aligned with the band pull-on 126, by moving transversely between the band expander 120 and the building drum 128. The building drum 128 is supported (in the phantom position) by a headstock 130 mounted on a turret for swinging the building drum 128 from the phantom position to the building position where it is supported by a tailstock 132. A second stitcher 134 is located adjacent the building drum 128 in its building position. Also adjacent the building drum 128 in its building position, but on the opposite side from the second stitcher 134, is a second strip applicator or laminator 136. The strip applicator applies elastomeric strip to the building drum 128 to supplement the band thereon with sidewall and shoulder wedge components which are configured in the same manner as described above for contouring of the gum cushion by the first strip applicator 74. The second strip applicator 136 is fed by a second 6" cold feed extruder 138 after the strip passes over two cooling drums 140.
While in the above example of a first stage complex for larger tire building there are two extruders shown each supplying an individual strip applicator, it would be possible to provide a single extruder to supply both applicators thus the system disclosed, being a preferred embodiment, is not the only way the present system can be practiced.
Simultaneous to the building of the tire carcass in a first stage complex as described for the large tire example above there is a parallel operation going on for making up continuous length breaker material as indicated in block 18 of FIG. 1. Two common ways of making up continuous length breaker material would be by calendering or by extrusion around a reinforcing material. Both of these are well known operations. Preferably, the continuous length breaker material of various elastomers and reinforcements to make up the individual breakers of the tire to be built are accumulated in their various widths as indicated in block 20. Subsequently the accumulated breakers are sequenced preferably by circulating trucks of the material on cars to a cut off where breakers of finite length can be cut from the material in the proper order for which they will have to be paid off to a second stage building drum. This sequence is indicated in the step of block 22.
Block 24 covers the step of maintaining the breakers so cut in the tire building payoff sequence while transporting them to the second stage building drum.
Block 26 illustrates the step of applying the breakers in their proper sequence to the second stage building drum to which now has been transferred the built up tire carcass by feeding the breakers sequentially onto the tire carcass on the second stage building drum through an in-line server. Finally, the tread rubber is added to the tire after having been shaped by expansion of the second stage building drum and preferably the tread material is laminated on in a known manner as indicated in block 28 of FIG. 1.
The above method of making a tire provides for the continuous makeup of breakers and the supply of sidewall and shoulder wedge material as required for the building step in block 26 and first stage building in block 14 in accordance with the demand as it arises eliminating the need for storage of these components. Further the method of making up the breakers allows for quick change of the accumulated breakers without a change of apparatus to accommodate change in size and type of tire.
Referring to FIGS. 2-7, apparatus is schematically illustrated for the steps described in FIG. 1 for blocks 18-24. FIG. 2 illustrates a closed loop for moving cars 30 on tracks 32 with one car on the right on an entry track 34. The loop is operative through transfer cars 36 and 38 which cycles the cars between the two tracks 32. The cars 30 accommodate trucks 40 each of which support a roll of breaker material 42 and a stripper roller 44 for accumulating the liner between the breaker material on roll 42. The rolls 42 and 44 are supported on axles which may be driven to rotate the rolls. In addition a truck 40 is also placed at the exit end of a cutoff server 46 to receive breakers from the server 46. FIGS. 3-6 show in sequence how the trucks 40 are loaded onto the cars 30 and sequenced through the closed loop. The car system used is a Cartrac (trademark of SI Handling Systems, Inc.) system, but any similar car system could be used, or in the alternative, an overhead conveyor system could be used to transport the trucks through a closed loop. FIG. 5 illustrates an elevator 48 which elevates the car up into the truck 40 to the level of the cars 30 on the tracks 32,34. In FIG. 6 all of the trucks 40 have been loaded into the closed loop and it is now in condition to repetitively produce finite length breakers in sequence. Drives 50 and 52 for the cutoff server 46 entry and exit end trucks 40 are in position to drive the rolls 42,44 thereon to first supply breaker material from the roll 42 on the entry end which can then be cut off by an operator and advanced to the truck 40 at the exit end which has its roll 42 driven by drive 52 to continuously accumulate the finite length breakers in sequence thereon. As each truck's breaker material is used for a breaker for a particular breaker package for a particular tire, the drive 50 is shifted to the alternate positions indicated in the earlier figures to allow the car 30 carrying the truck 40 to cross over to the transfer car 36. In this manner, the cars 30 are sequentially rotated through the closed loop to bring each car 30 to the cutoff server 46 in proper sequence to cut from each of the rolls 42 on the cars 30 the proper length breaker to make up a package for a particular tire. In the illustrations of FIGS. 2-7, six cars 30 are used for a six breaker package for a single tire. For fewer breakers, fewer cars 30 would be circulated through the closed loop. When a truck 40 is in position in front of the cutoff server 46, the drive 50 moves over toward the truck 40 and engages its axle to enable it to rotate the axle carrying the roll 42 of breaker material on the truck 40. Material is fed from the truck 40 onto the cutoff server 46 and measured to length with a surface drive digital encoder set to stop the server for that particular breaker (not illustrated). Material is cut and the excess wound back up. The next truck 40 moves into position and the next piece of breaker material is cut and sequentially led down the conveyor of the cutoff server 46 to be wound into the roll 42 on the truck 40 at the exit end of the cutoff server 46. The process continues until the supply of breaker material is exhausted at which point loaded trucks 40 are exchanged for the empty ones and an empty truck 40 is installed in the windup position, or the demand for the particular breaker package is met and another set of breaker roll material has to be entered into the system to create the breaker package for the next set of tires.
The cycle for the breaker system is as follows: A full truck of material is brought to the elevator 48 where the car 30 is raised into the truck. A car/truck combination proceeds into the system via a short straight section 34 and a transfer car 36. The car/truck combination would hold in the straight section if another car/truck was on the transfer car 36. Up to five more trucks 40 are loaded in the same way, preferably in proper order. An operator stationed at the cutoff server 46 now has up to six car/truck combinations at his disposal. An empty truck is in the windup position at the exit end of the cutoff server 46. Any time the drive 50 is away from the disengaged position, a limit switch sends a signal preventing a car/truck combination from moving past the material unwind station. The operator pushes the depart station button and if there was a car/truck combination which has just been unloaded it moves out of position. The operator then being satisfied he has the right truck pushes the windup start button and the drive windup moves in and engages the new truck which has moved into position. The operator unwinds stock through a guide underneath a speed control dancer roll and onto the conveyor of the cutoff server 46 using the length measurer. The conveyor stops at the preset length and the stock is cut. When the stock reaches the end of the cutoff server it is fed under another speed control dancer roll along with the liner of the windup truck 40. The operator then pushes the retract stock button which winds up excess material back into the car/truck at the front of the cutoff server. This also causes the drive to disengage and retract. When the drive is fully retracted the operator pushes the depart station button and the car/truck moves by and around the track for another cycle or to the load/unload station if it is empty. The operator would have to indicate this on his control panel if the car/truck combination is to go to the load/unload station. The next car/truck combination moves up and the drive 50 moves back into position to repeat the cycle until the supply of material is exhausted or the plant requirements are fulfilled. When the operator is on his last cycle the trucks in the closed loop should be unloaded as they are finished and a full truck 40 put in its place so that the flow of work is not disturbed. The operator can continue as soon as he replaces the windup truck containing the preassembled breaker package at the exit end of the cutoff server 46. FIG. 7 illustrates the end of a cycle with the truck withdrawn from the end of the cutoff server 46 and the drive 50 shifted ready for transfer of the truck 40 at the entry end of the cutoff server 46 to the transfer car 36 as soon as it is shifted into position. FIG. 8 illustrates the truck 40 taken from the exit position in FIG. 7 in place at the inline server 54 which preferably can take the individual breakers from the breaker package wound on the truck 40 in a line one after the other and place them onto a second stage building drum 56. The server is capable of handling the varying widths and materials as well as lengths of the breakers individually in each package to place the total number of breakers in the package for the tire onto the tire on the second stage building drum 56.
FIG. 9 illustrates apparatus for accomplishing the step of box 14 in FIG. 1 for winding sidewall and shoulder width material in a form of a strip onto the carcass of a first stage building drum 58 a band expander 60 is swingable from a phantom position shown in FIG. 9 in line with the first stage building drum 58 to allow a band pull on 62 to traverse over the first stage building drum 58 and clamp the band on the band expander to thereafter pull the band over the first stage building drum 58. A strip applicator such as that available from AMF is then brought to apply both the sidewall and shoulder wedge material in strip form. The strip is supplied from an extruder 68 which can be either a hot or cold feed extruder, or in the alternative the strip can be supplied from a mill or like type device but preferably a cold feed extruder is used and the strip passes therefrom onto a strip cooler 66 before being applied by the strip applicator 64. In the above manner the strip is applied directly to the tire building operation as it is made up and there is no requirement for storage of components such as sidewall or shoulder wedge.
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes the principal and mode of the operation of the apparatus and method have been explained and what is considered to be its best embodiment has been illustrated and described. It should, however, be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.
Patent Citations
Non-Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
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text: We just left the park. This morning we saw a small crane behind the wall at the front of the attraction entrance. This afternoon cars were going around the track about 10 seconds apart and the crane was gone. The lights were on inside too. I will not be surprised if it soft opens sometime this week. We definitely are planning to check it out several times and keeping our fingers crossed that we get lucky!


text:
Welcome To
Cross Hills Group Practice
The Health Centre, Holme Lane
Cross Hills, Keighley
West Yorkshire, BD20 7LG [map]
Main number: 01535 637900
(08.00 - 18.00 Mon - Fri)
Fax: 01535 632187
Latest News
New Telephone Number
We would like to inform patients, suppliers and other service providers from Monday 13th October
our telephone number will be 01535 637900
FLU Vaccinations
We are now taking bookings for flu vaccinations please check the list below and contact the surgery to book you appointment
- Age 65 and over
- Or who are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose
welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill
Or who have the following conditions:-
Sharing your medical & personal information
As of January 2014, NHS England is sending out a leaflet entitled Better information means better care (2MB PDF) via junk mail. It is not addressed directly to you as a patient and it deliberately doesn't include an opt-out form. The leaflet says you should "speak to your GP practice" if you want to opt out. This is misleading and is not necessary.
All you need do is write a letter ,download a simple form from the following website www.medconfidential.org/how-to-opt-out or call at reception to collect a copy of the form instructing your doctor to opt you out, which you can fill in, sign and post or drop into your surgery reception for their attention.
THURSDAY 12th March 2015 The surgery will be closed from 1pm for a training afternoon,we will re-open at 8.00am on Friday 13th March 2015. For any urgent medical problems please ring the surgery as normal and you will be diverted to our Out of Hours provider.
Training afternoons are held on the second Thursday of every month.
A & E attendance
During the Practice opening hours of 8:00 - 6:00pm Monday to Friday we request that patients with conditions that can be treated in Primary Care contact the Practice rather than attend A & E for treatment.
Stop and Think
A&E and 999 service are for emergency and life- threatening conditions only.
Get the right treatment for you and help the NHS to manage its resources.
Visit www.nhs.uk
Or call NHS 1 1 1 for medical advice
Patient Survey Report 2013
The full report and agreed action plan for the above survey is now available for all patients to view. Please click here to open this report.
Practice Leaflet
We have updated our Practice Leaflet and the new version (April 2013) is now available from Reception. Please click here to download an electronic version.
Our June 2013 newsletter is now available. Please go the the Newsletter section and click on the latest link.
Cross Hills Pharmacy (Health Centre)
We are pleased to announce that this Pharmacy is now open for your use and convenience. For more information please click here. Or you can go to the pharmacy's web-site at:
Thank you to John Vickers from Pixelfruit Photography, who has
kindly loaned us the fantastic pictures of local beauty spots
to enhance our waiting room.


text:
DEFINITION of 'Price Leadership'
When a firm that is the leader in its sector determines the price of goods or services. Price leadership can leave the leader's rivals with little choice but to follow its lead and match these prices if they are to hold onto their market share. Alternatively, competitors may also choose to lower their prices in the hope of gaining market share as discounters.
INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Price Leadership'
Price leadership can be positive when the leader sets prices higher, since its competitors would be justified in ratcheting their prices higher as well, without the threat of losing market share. In fact, higher prices may improve profitability for all firms.
More commonly, undisputed market leaders such as the big-box retailers use their operating efficiencies to relentlessly mark down prices. This forces smaller rivals to lower prices as well in order to retain market share. Since these smaller firms often do not have the same economies of scale as the price leaders, this attempt to match the leader's prices may lead to mounting losses over a prolonged period, to the point where they may be forced to eventually close their doors.
Predatory PricingThe act of setting prices low in an attempt to eliminate the ...
Price WarWhen companies continuously lower prices to undercut the competition. ...
Price FixingEstablishing the price of a product or service, rather than allowing ...
CartelAn organization created from a formal agreement between a group ...
OligopolyA situation in which a particular market is controlled by a small ...
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Does perfect competition exist in the real world?First, let's review what economic factors must be present in an industry with perfect competition: 1. All firms sell an ... Read Full Answer >>
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text:
The A.P. State Haj Committee will conduct 'qurrah' (draw of lots) on Tuesday to select 5,977 pilgrims for Haj 2013. The district wise computerised qurrah will be held at 12 noon at the Haj House here. Andhra Pradesh has a quota of 7,322 pilgrims. Of them 1,345 have already been selected under reserved categories and the qurrah will be held for the remaining applicants. There are a total of 15,616 applicants this year.
The district wise quota of pilgrims is: Adilabad (206), Anantapur (338), Chittoor (298), Kadapa (336), East Godavari (61), Guntur (424), Hyderabad (1,370), Karimnagar (186), Khammam (120), Krishna (231), Kurnool (498), Mahbubnagar (258), Medak (258), Nalgonda (148), Nellore (204), Nizamabad (295), Prakasam (124), Rangareddy (354), Srikakulam (0), Visakhapatnam (62), Vizianagaram (7), Warangal (153) and West Godavari (46).
Qurrah will not be conducted to the five districts of Nellore, Prakasam, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and West Godavari since the number of applications received are less than the quota, said Abdul Hameed, executive officer, Haj Committee.
Keywords: Haj Committee, qurrah, pilgrimage, pilgrims


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Girl, 6, dies after being hit by pickup
ROLLA, N.D. — A 6-year-old girl died Tuesday when she was struck by a truck while crossing the road on her bicycle in Rolla, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
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Metallic Cold Shoulder Top
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4/1/2015 12:36:10 AM. For Customer Service, please call 800.933.9904
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Of all the beauty minefields out there, visible pores are one of the trickiest to dodge. Foundation alone doesn't do the trick, which is why we turn to this translucent balm to shrink our pores. We can use it as a primer in the mornings or as a touch-up treatment throughout the day. Perfect t-zone, here we come.
This product is amazing. It is skin-toned, so you don't even need to wear foundation if you use this for a more natural look. It keeps my skin (which is sometimes oily) matte, and in control all day. It doesn't even feel like I'm wearing makeup or anything heavy.
It definitely does what it says it will!


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Information Morning - Cape Breton | Jul 29, 2014 | 6:51
Odd Jobs 5 - Chocolatier
Creating chocolatey confections is all in a day's work on our "Odd Jobs" series. Associate Producer Nicole MacLennan asked John Timpa of Sydney how he became a chocolatier and whats the secret to working with chocolate. (runs 6:51 July 29, 2014)


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CRESTVIEW — Funds from Davidson Middle School's annual event will help Northwest Florida residents fight cancer and provide money for research. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. READ MORE
NICEVILLE — "This is Rocket Science," Northwest Florida State College's spring Science Seminar Series, begins Friday with a presentation by 2004 Collegiate High School graduate Ben Corbin. READ MORE
TROY, Ala. — Laken Johnson, Timothy Heath, Rafael Gomez and Cameron Kuypers, all of Crestview, are on Troy University's fall semester provost's list. READ MORE
CRESTVIEW — During Family Literacy Night, Bob Sikes Elementary School families got a jump start on bringing love of reading home. READ MORE
NICEVILLE — Northwest Florida State College will host Computer Tech 2015 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 31 in the Student Services Center on the Niceville campus. READ MORE
CRESTVIEW — Crestview High School's performing arts and culinary arts programs will unite in a Feb. 20 public affair that will offer both groups of students some real-world experience. READ MORE
BAKER — The Dugas Family Foundation selected Baker School as one campus to receive a $3,000 donation. READ MORE
TROY, Ala. — Quinton Lindsey of Baker, and Haley Parnell and Mallory Golden of Crestview are on Troy University's fall-term chancellor's list. READ MORE
BATON ROUGE — The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine recently conferred six graduate degrees at its diploma distribution ceremony for the Graduate Academic Studies Program. READ MORE
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Crestview woman was named to the Columbia College dean's list for the August-October and October-December 2014 sessions. READ MORE


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i think i have norco but its not the usual yellow pill.this one has markings 1p110 its white oblong has anybody have a answer for me karen
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Answers (1)
14 May 2010
Yes! it is norco just the generic version. It is the 10/325 dose of norco. The markings actually say IP 110. The yellow one's are better and they make them saying watson,norco or just plain V with a score on the other side I found that the generic version give me somewhat of a headache.
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Tarbais pole bean
Is the Tarbais pole bean an extremely late-season bean?
It has produced no flowers (or beans) yet. Our first frost date is two months from now.
I planted about 25 Tarbais seeds on May 31 (using fresh inoculant). For some time now, they have bundled over the top of a ten-foot trellis. Most leaves are healthy-looking, but one third of the lower leaves have yellowed and are not healthy looking anymore.
They get strong midday/afternoon sun for 4-5 hours daily.
I planted edaname in front of the Tarbais: three rows Tarbais next to the lattice, and three rows Gardensoy in front of the Tarbais. The Gardensoy is now four feet high and shades the feet of the Tarbais. All the soy plants are healthy-looking and are producing pods.
Three years ago, Meraviglia Venezia pole (with very large yellow Roma pods) produced abundantly in the same location.
I had to look up Tarbais beans. But it appears that they are a p. vulgaris variety (related to most common beans). I wish I could help you!
I've found wide variation between different bean varieties and their reaction to day length. The fact that these only receive 4-5 hours of strong sunlight might have something to do with it. It's also possible that they will suddenly start blooming, as did my Black Greasy Beans last September.
I have a garden between two out buildings. In this garden, if I plant beans all the way at the back, or all the way up front, they behave normally and flower right on time. But if I plant pole beans in the middle of the garden, whether it be where they receive plenty of sunlight, or if they are on the North side of one shed, they don't flower until very late. I've found this, so far with two varieties. I can't explain it!
Tahlequah, OK
Marquette, it sounds like the garden location is mostly shade. The soybeans should not be that high... depending upon which Gardensoy you are growing, all but Gardensoy 2 should be no higher than 30". The shade (from both above & below) may be taking its toll on your beans.
I can't speak for the Tarbais, since I have not yet grown them... but I have grown both pole beans & soybeans in half-shade, and they performed poorly. Fortunately, I was only growing them for seed; had I been expecting snap beans or edamame, the yield would have been disappointing.
I ended up pruning some branches, to get 8 hours of full sun, give or take an hour. You might need to make a similar choice.
I was beginning to think that Tarbais was day-length sensitive, but if Jimster grew it sucessfully in Mass, that theory goes out the window. So the failure to bloom is probably the location and lack of sun. I also have a theory that it could be a soil deficiency (never did a soil test). Yes, I know. Roll out the Guillotine.
Zeedman: Gardensoy 12 grows in front (it has purple flowers, so I may have mixed up my notes and planted Gardensoy 02). Those two were the only edaname I planted (in two different locations). Neither are impressively prolific. The soy covercrop I planted last year was more prolific and produced tasty treats.
Thanks Macmex, Jimster, and Zeedman for your comments and suggestions...
Today I saw the first Tarbais flowers - white. Will there be time for mature shellies if frost comes on October 10?
Unfortunately I don't have a ful-sun location, but the spots that are the sunniest are now in veggies with, at the most, 8 hours/day.
While researching another question elsewhere, it led me back to this thread. I see great similarity in the descriptions for "Tarbais" and another pole bean I grow, "Tetovac". The appearance (flat, white, like small limas) and the width of the plants at the base mentioned by Drloyd match my observations of "Tetovac".
The base width,though, might depend upon the spacing & available sunlight. Some beans I have described as "half runner" at wide spacing have performed as "pole" for others.
It would be interesting to grow them both for comparison... hopefully I'll be able to get a real garden in next year & find out.
Zeedman, all my trellises have been spaced at 4 feet in recent years following what I thought was your lead. I think I read on another thread that you now sometimes go as close as 3 feet?
I grew Tarbais in 2009 which was the nicest summer here in years. They were spaced at 4 feet and they used it all! It might be hard to save seed here in a cooler summer. - Dick
Drloyd, after a discussion with Gardenlad several years back, I increased my default row spacing for pole beans from 36" then, to 42-48" now. The range reflects adjustments for variety; less vigorous climbers & those with more open foliage get the closer spacing.
With rows at 36", I still got a good yield... but due to shading, the foliage & pods in the inner rows were concentrated in the upper half by late summer. At the wider row spacing, the pods are borne from top to bottom.


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Wed July 23, 2014
Obama Declares Emergency As Huge Fires Burn In Washington State
Fires are still raging in Washington state, where officials hope rain might help them contain the large fires — but there's also a chance that heavy rainfall could trigger flooding and mudslides.
Fire crews have been battling several major fires in central and eastern Washington for the past two weeks. The blazes have destroyed hundreds of homes and caused wide power outages.
President Obama declared an emergency in the state today, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help local and state agencies with supplies and disaster relief.
From Spokane Public Radio, Steve Jackson reports:
"Several fires continue to ravage the state, with the Carlton Complex, the largest in state history, now at 250,000 acres. But cooler temperatures and increased humidity have helped firefighters achieve 16 percent containment.
"Communications manager for the Department of Natural Resources Janet Piece says rain is actually in the weather prediction for today.
" 'However there is lightning coming with the scattered thunderstorms,' she says. 'So, we're going to have to keep an eye on that, but we're hopeful the rain will keep dousing out what the lightning causes.'
The temperatures are expected to get back into the 90s by next week. Good progress has been made on the Mills Canyon fire, near the town of Leavenworth, and the Watermelon Hill fire burning near Spokane. Both are at 90 percent containment Wednesday."
More than 2,500 people are currently trying to fight the huge Carlton fire, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. The blaze is larger than the Washington portion of the Yacolt Burn, a 1902 fire that killed 65 people and burned more than 1 million acres of land in Washington and Oregon, Northwest Public Radio reports.