Advanced Imaging Robo4 5-Channel Force Measurement Controller Load Cell Balance

Advanced Imaging Robo4 5-Channel Force Measurement Controller Load Cell Balance

The Advanced Imaging Robo4 is a five-channel digital force measurement controller designed for polishing head control in semiconductor CMP (chemical mechanical planarization) systems. Each of the five channels independently displays real-time force readings in pounds via a bright LED numeric readout, and each connects to a separate voice-coil-driven load cell. The unit is divided into two functional sections — Balance (Left and Right) and Bending (Left, Center, Right) — allowing precise monitoring and control of individual polishing head zones during wafer processing.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Advanced Imaging
• Model: Robo4 (labeled ROB04 on connector)
• Number of channels: 5
• Channel layout — Balance section: Left Balance (Voice Coil 1), Right Balance (Voice Coil 5)
• Channel layout — Bending section: Left Bender (Voice Coil 2), Center Bender (Voice Coil 3), Right Bender (Voice Coil 4)
• Display: Five individual LED digital readouts, one per channel, displaying Force in lbs.
• Per-channel controls: Calibration Mode, Normal Mode, LED/Computer Readout selector, GAIN, SAN, OFFSET
• Load cell inputs: 5 × DB-9 female ports labeled LOADCELL 1–5 on rear panel
• Computer interface: RS-232 via DB-9 port labeled COMPUTER on rear panel
• Input cable: ROB04-labeled high-density D-Sub connector harness (included)
• Form factor: Benchtop/tabletop enclosure with teal-accent trim
• Rear panel ventilation slots for passive cooling
• Includes: ROB04 high-density D-Sub cable harness

Applications

The Robo4 was purpose-built for CMP polishing head force control — the process by which semiconductor wafers are planarized against a polishing pad with precisely controlled, zone-specific downforce. In CMP systems, the polishing head typically uses multiple independently driven voice coil actuators or pneumatic zones to apply different force levels across the wafer surface, and the balance/bender channel arrangement on this controller maps directly to those zones. Accurate load cell feedback through a controller like the Robo4 is essential to achieving uniform material removal across the wafer and meeting tight thickness tolerances in advanced semiconductor fabrication. This type of multi-channel force readout and calibration controller was used in CMP equipment developed during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when CMP became a mainstream process node requirement for sub-micron device geometries. The RS-232 computer interface allows external process control software or a host PC to log force data and automate calibration routines. These controllers are sought after for maintenance of legacy CMP tools, lab research polishers, and head rebuild/calibration benches.