An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a support for a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and an electromagnetic induction monitoring system to generate a magnetic field to monitor a substrate being polished by the polishing pad. The electromagnetic induction monitoring system includes a core and a coil wound around a portion of the core. The core includes a back portion, a center post extending from the back portion in a first direction normal to the polishing surface, and an annular rim extending from the back portion in parallel with the center post and surrounding and spaced apart from the center post by a gap. A width of the gap is less than a width of the center post, and a surface area of a top surface of the annular rim is at least two times greater than a surface area of a top surface of the center post.

An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a support for a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and an electromagnetic induction monitoring system to generate a magnetic field to monitor a substrate being polished by the polishing pad. The electromagnetic induction monitoring system includes a core and a coil wound around a portion of the core. The core includes a back portion, a center post extending from the back portion in a first direction normal to the polishing surface, and an annular rim extending from the back portion in parallel with the center post and surrounding and spaced apart from the center post by a gap. A width of the gap is less than a width of the center post, and a surface area of a top surface of the annular rim is at least two times greater than a surface area of a top surface of the center post.

Whether or not there is an abnormality in a holding surface is determined on the basis of a difference between initial holding surface height data as the height of the holding surface immediately after a holding surface grinding step and interim holding surface height data as the height of the holding surface after a grinding step and a holding surface cleaning step are performed a plurality of times. Hence, a wafer does not need to be ground in order to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the holding surface. An amount of consumption of wafers can therefore be suppressed.

A workpiece processing apparatus which coats a front surface of a workpiece with a resin, the workpiece having devices formed in regions demarcated by a plurality of planned dividing lines formed in a lattice manner. The workpiece processing apparatus includes a cassette mounting base mounted with a cassette housing a plurality of workpieces, a resin coating unit that coats the front surface of the workpiece with the resin, a resin curing unit that cures the resin by applying an external stimulus to the coated resin, a resin grinding unit that flattens the cured resin by grinding the cured resin by a rotating grinding stone, and a conveying mechanism that conveys the workpiece between the units.

A polishing apparatus that polishes a substrate includes a polishing table for holding a polishing pad and a polishing head configured to press a surface of the substrate against the polishing pad. A plurality of first optical heads detect a signal concerning a film thickness of the substrate while moving across the substrate. One spectrometer receives and processes signals output by at least two first sensor heads among the plurality of first sensor heads. An optical switch selectively connects the sensor heads to the spectrometer. A processor controls the optical switch to switch, at timing when the plurality of sensor heads simultaneously face the substrate, the connection to the spectrometer from one sensor head to another sensor head.

A probe sanding fixture includes a base, a probe adapter including a probe guide defining one or more channels defined therein, and a sander tool including a sanding wheel and a gauge pin configured to process one or more probes positioned in the channels. The probe adapter is coupleable to the base such that the channels are extendable generally along a first axis. The sander tool is coupled to the base such that the sander tools is translatable along a second axis and rotatable about the first axis.

An eyeglasses lens processing system includes the transport robot that holds an eyeglasses lens in a holding portion to transport the eyeglasses lens, an eyeglasses lens processing device that processes the eyeglasses lens held between a pair of the lens holding shafts, a shape information acquisition unit that acquires information about a refractive surface shape of the eyeglasses lens, and a relative movement unit that changes a relative positional relationship between the eyeglasses lens held by the holding portion of the transport robot and the pair of lens holding shafts. The relative movement unit at least two-dimensionally changes the relative positional relationship, based on acquired information of the refractive surface shape, to insert the eyeglasses lens into a predetermined insertion position in a gap between the pair of lens holding shafts.

An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a support for a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and an electromagnetic induction monitoring system to generate a magnetic field to monitor a substrate being polished by the polishing pad. The electromagnetic induction monitoring system includes a core and a coil wound around a portion of the core. The core includes a back portion, a center post extending from the back portion in a first direction normal to the polishing surface, and an annular rim extending from the back portion in parallel with the center post and surrounding and spaced apart from the center post by a gap. A width of the gap is less than a width of the center post, and a surface area of a top surface of the annular rim is at least two times greater than a surface area of a top surface of the center post.

Device for controlling the sharpening state of a blade (2) having a cutting edge (20) delimited by two sides (21, 22) converging towards a plane (X) that contains the cutting edge itself. The device comprises two control surfaces each of which is in contact with a corresponding side (21, 22) of the cutting edge (20) and is connected with a transducer (R4), which produces an electrical displacement signal (S4) proportional to a displacement of the control surface with respect to said plane (X). Furthermore, the device comprises a processing unit (E) that receives said displacement signals (S4) and compares them, emitting an error signal if the comparison produces a value that exceeds a predetermined limit. The control surfaces are the surfaces that delimit an external groove (40) of a roller (4) that is free to translate along an axis (A4) perpendicular to said plane (X) and spaced from the blade (2) by an amount such that said cutting edge (20) passes in said groove (40).

Device for controlling the sharpening state of a blade (2) having a cutting edge (20) delimited by two sides (21, 22) converging towards a plane (X) that contains the cutting edge itself. The device comprises two control surfaces each of which is in contact with a corresponding side (21, 22) of said cutting edge (20) and is connected with at least one transducer (R1, R2, R4), which produces an electrical displacement signal (S1, S2; S4) proportional to a displacement of the control surface with respect to said plane (X). Furthermore, the device comprises a processing unit (E) that receives said displacement signals (S1, S2, S4) and compares them, emitting an error signal if the comparison produces a value that exceeds a predetermined limit. The processing unit is connected to means (101, 102) for supporting and moving sharpening means (100).