Patent ID: 7044476

Claim:
A wafer chuck comprising: a. a chuck body having: i. a wafer holding face for holding a wafer; ii. a cavity structurally separated and below said wafer holding face; iii. at least three pin channels extending between said holding face and said cavity substantially perpendicular to said holding face; b. at least three pinlifters correspondingly shaped to and slidably embedded in said pin channels, each of said pinlifters having a bottom face and a top face; c. a pinlifter assembly embedded in said cavity, said pinlifter assembly having: i. a wedge guide providing an angled movement path that is in a wedge angle with respect to said wafer holding face; ii. a pin actuator correspondingly shaped to said wedge guide and slidably guided by said wedge guide such that said pin actuator is moved along said movement path as a result of an imposed driving force; iii. a driving means for said imposing of said driving force onto said pin actuator; wherein said bottom faces are in contact with a pin contact face of said pin actuator such that said pinlifters are simultaneously moved along said pin channels and said top faces are moved between a bottom position below said holding face and a top position above said holding face while said pin actuator is moved along said movement path.