Patent ID: 6618645
Filing Date: 2003-09-09
Classification: H01L,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of determining whether an end effector implemented to have a controllable supination angle is positioned in a common datum plane of a specimen stored on or in a container, the specimen having a thickness dimension defined by first and second opposed major surfaces of the specimen, comprising:providing an end effector having a body operatively connected to a light source and a light receiver, the light source and light receiver having spaced-apart respective source light path and receiver light path openings between which a light beam propagates along a straight line light transmission pathway; causing the specimen to intersect the light transmission pathway and thereby interrupt the light beam; dithering the end effector through multiple supination angles and imparting relative motion between the specimen and the body in either of first and second opposite measurement directions along a travel path that is substantially perpendicular to the straight line light transmission pathway; for each of the supination angles, recording for the first and second measurement directions of relative motion along the travel path respective first and second position information corresponding to spatial coordinate positions at which the light transmission pathway is restored; and using the recorded first and second position information to determine a minimum thickness dimension defined by the first and second opposed major surfaces of the specimen, the minimum thickness dimension indicating the supination angle at which the end effector and specimen are in a common datum plane.