Lithium Tantalate Grinding Center Alignment via Optical Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
In grinding lithium tantalate, the material tends to bend and break when stuck with tape, and bonding it to a substrate helps prevent bending, but this setup often results in misalignment of centers between the lithium tantalate and the support component, leading to uneven grinding and potential vacuum leaks.
Innovation Solution
A grinding method and apparatus that use imaging and recognition techniques to accurately align the center of the lithium tantalate with the holding surface, allowing selective switching between aligning the support component or the lithium tantalate with the chuck table, utilizing a camera to distinguish between the outer circumferences of both components and adjust the holding surface accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lithium tantalate is bonded to a support component to prevent bending, then the reliability of grinding is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to center misalignment between the lithium tantalate and support component
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera and image processing system as an intermediary between the bonded workpiece and the chuck table. The camera captures images of the outer circumferences, and the control unit processes these images to accurately detect centers and calculate positioning offsets, enabling precise alignment despite the bonding mismatch
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual or mechanical alignment methods with an optical measurement system. Instead of relying on physical fixtures or trial-and-error positioning, the system uses camera imaging and computational algorithms to automatically determine the correct positioning offset for accurate center alignment
2Reliability
If the holding surface is made larger to cover the support component for vacuum sealing, then the reliability of vacuum holding is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for selective center alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-alignment by automatically calculating the positioning offset based on imaging the outer circumferences of both the support component and lithium tantalate. The control unit autonomously determines the correct center alignment without requiring complex external alignment mechanisms or manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary imaging and center detection before the actual grinding operation. By capturing images and calculating positioning offsets in advance, the system prepares the correct alignment parameters beforehand, simplifying the subsequent grinding process and reducing operational complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise and even grinding of lithium tantalate by ensuring accurate alignment, preventing bending and breakage, and maintaining a vacuum seal by adjusting the holding surface to match the center of either the support component or the workpiece, resulting in consistent thickness and improved handling properties.
Implementation Method 1
an outer circumference recognition step of recognizing each of the outer circumference of the support component and the outer circumference of the workpiece on the basis of the brightness difference between pixels adjacent to each other in a taken image obtained by imaging the bonded workpiece in the imaging step
Implementation Method 2
a grinding step of grinding, by the abrasive stone, the workpiece of the bonded workpiece held in the holding step
Data Source
AI summary
A grinding method includes a step of imaging a bonded workpiece by a camera in such a manner as to include the outer circumference of a workpiece and the outer circumference of a support component with a larger diameter than that of the workpiece before a step of holding the support component of the bonded workpiece by a holding surface. The grinding method also includes a step of recognizing the outer circumference of the support component and the outer circumference of the workpiece on the basis of the brightness difference between pixels adjacent to each other in a taken image and a step of recognizing the center of the support component from the recognized outer circumference of the support component and recognizing the center of the workpiece from the recognized outer circumference of the workpiece.