Apparatus for sharpening a cutting tool. In some embodiments, a tool sharpener includes an abrasive medium having an abrasive surface. A stationary tool support guide provides a guide surface that supports a side of the tool during presentation of a cutting edge of the tool against the abrasive surface. A rotatable edge guide has a roller member with a curvilinearly extending outer surface. The roller member is rotatable about an edge guide roller axis to engage, via rolling contact, the cutting edge during the presentation of the cutting edge against the abrasive surface.

The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus and a polishing method for polishing a substrate, such as a wafer, and more particularly to a polishing apparatus and a polishing method for polishing an edge portion of a wafer with use of a polishing tape.

The polishing apparatus includes a substrate holder (1) configured to hold and rotate a substrate (W), and a polishing unit (7) configured to polish an edge portion of the substrate (W) with use of a polishing tape (5). The polishing unit (7) includes: a disk head (12) having a circumferential surface for supporting the polishing tape (5); and a head moving device (50) configured to move the disk head (12) in a tangential direction of the substrate (W) and to bring the polishing tape (5) on the circumferential surface of the disk head (12) into contact with the edge portion of the substrate (W).

A finishing belt device includes a pressure apparatus having a pressure roller that applies a pressing force to the rear side of a finishing belt that, when viewed in the running direction of the finishing belt, an active side of the finishing belt is pressed against a peripheral surface to be finished of a workpiece in a linear contact region at the level of the pressing force. A pressure roller support is provided with the pressure roller arranged as a first pressure roller and another pressure roller is arranged as a second pressure roller. When viewed in the running direction of the finishing belt, the active side of the finishing belt is pressed against the peripheral surface to be finished of the workpiece in two spaced-apart linear contact regions via the two pressure rollers. The invention also relates to a method for finishing a peripheral surface of a cam surface.

A polishing apparatus polishes a periphery of a substrate. This polishing apparatus includes a rotary holding mechanism configured to hold the substrate horizontally and rotate the substrate, plural polishing head assemblies provided around the substrate, plural tape supplying and recovering mechanisms configured to supply polishing tapes to the plural polishing head assemblies and recover the polishing tapes from the plural polishing head assemblies, and plural moving mechanisms configured to move the plural polishing head assemblies in radial directions of the substrate held by the rotary holding mechanism. The tape supplying and recovering mechanisms are located outwardly of the plural polishing head assemblies in the radial directions of the substrate, and the tape supplying and recovering mechanisms are fixed in position.

A polishing unit of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a polishing head having a pressing member configured to hold a polishing tape and press the polishing tape against a peripheral portion of a substrate from above; a tape supply and recovery mechanism configured to supply the polishing tape to the polishing head and recover the polishing tape from the polishing head; a first moving mechanism configured to move the polishing head in a radial direction of the substrate; and a second moving mechanism configured to move the tape supply and recovery mechanism in the radial direction of the substrate. The positioning unit includes a positioning block having a contacting surface, and alignment of the polishing tape is conducted by the second moving mechanism moving the tape supply and recovery mechanism so that a substrate-side edge of the polishing tape makes contact with the contacting surface.

A polishing unit of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a polishing head having a pressing member configured to hold a polishing tape and press the polishing tape against a peripheral portion of a substrate from above; a tape supply and recovery mechanism configured to supply the polishing tape to the polishing head and recover the polishing tape from the polishing head; a first moving mechanism configured to move the polishing head in a radial direction of the substrate; and a second moving mechanism configured to move the tape supply and recovery mechanism in the radial direction of the substrate. The positioning unit includes a positioning block having a contacting surface, and alignment of the polishing tape is conducted by the second moving mechanism moving the tape supply and recovery mechanism so that a substrate-side edge of the polishing tape makes contact with the contacting surface.

The diamond surface polishing method according to the present invention involves polishing a polished object, the surface of which is made of diamond, by rubbing a polishing member having an elongated shape such as a linear or belt-like shape and containing at least a metal or a metal oxide against the diamond surface, wherein a pressing force of the polishing member is controlled in accordance with material properties of the polishing member and/or a shape of the polished object and a diamond crystal size in a rubbing section so that contact surface pressure in a machining area becomes uniform.

The diamond surface polishing method according to the present invention involves polishing a polished object, the surface of which is made of diamond, by rubbing a polishing member having an elongated shape such as a linear or belt-like shape and containing at least a metal or a metal oxide against the diamond surface, wherein a pressing force of the polishing member is controlled in accordance with material properties of the polishing member and/or a shape of the polished object and a diamond crystal size in a rubbing section so that contact surface pressure in a machining area becomes uniform.

A polishing method and a polishing film are provided for automatically performing multi-stage batch polishing on an end surface of a workpiece. An end surface of a workpiece and a polishing plate are moved relative to each other while bringing the end surface of the workpiece into contact with a polishing film of the polishing plate. The end surface is moved in a circular motion with a diameter 2 R relative to the polishing film; the center of the circular motion is moved linearly by a distance S on the polishing film; the polishing film is provided with first, second, and third polishing surfaces; and the polishing film is further provided with cleaning surfaces between the polishing surfaces so that the range of the distance S in which one rotation in the circular motion crosses over different polishing surfaces is reduced, or does not cross over different polishing surfaces.

A polishing method and a polishing film are provided for automatically performing multi-stage batch polishing on an end surface of a workpiece. An end surface of a workpiece and a polishing plate are moved relative to each other while bringing the end surface of the workpiece into contact with a polishing film of the polishing plate. The end surface is moved in a circular motion with a diameter 2 R relative to the polishing film; the center of the circular motion is moved linearly by a distance S on the polishing film; the polishing film is provided with first, second, and third polishing surfaces; and the polishing film is further provided with cleaning surfaces between the polishing surfaces so that the range of the distance S in which one rotation in the circular motion crosses over different polishing surfaces is reduced, or does not cross over different polishing surfaces.