A method of producing a wafer includes forming a peel-off layer in a hexagonal single-crystal ingot by applying a laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through the ingot while positioning a focal point of the laser beam in the ingot at a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be produced from an end face of the ingot, generating ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic wave generating unit positioned in facing relation to the wafer to be produced across a water layer interposed therebetween, thereby to break the peel-off layer, and detecting when the wafer to be produced is peeled off the ingot based on a change that is detected in the height of an upper surface of the wafer to be produced by a height detecting unit positioned above the upper surface of the wafer to be produced across the water wafer interposed therebetween.

The present invention provides a polishing composition with which polishing rates can be effectively improved and which is for polishing works to be polished. The polishing composition comprises water, abrasive grains, an oxidant, and a polishing accelerator. The polishing accelerator comprises at least one metal salt selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts and alkaline-earth metal salts.

A polishing agent for a synthetic quartz glass substrate. The polishing agent contains wet ceria particles and non-spherical silica particles. The wet ceria particles have an average primary particle diameter of 30 nm to 50 nm. The non-spherical silica particles have an average primary particle diameter of 80 nm to 120 nm. This provides a polishing agent for a synthetic quartz glass substrate, the polishing agent having high polishing rate and being capable of sufficiently reducing generation of defects due to polishing.

There is provided a production method of a chain silica particle dispersion. This production method includes a dispersion preparation step of hydrolyzing alkoxysilane in the presence of ammonia to prepare a silica particle dispersion, an ammonia removal step of removing the ammonia from the silica particle dispersion such that an ammonia amount relative to silica contained in the silica particle dispersion is 0.3% by mass or less, and a hydrothermal treatment step of hydrothermally treating the silica particle dispersion having a silica concentration of 12% by mass or more, from which the ammonia has been removed, at a temperature of not lower than 150 C. and lower than 250 C. An abrasive including such chain silica particles is high in polishing rate and excellent in polishing properties.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing unit and a second processing unit placed in upper and lower two stages. Each processing unit has: a plurality of processing tanks arranged in series; a partition wall defining a conveyance space extending along an arrangement direction outside the plurality of processing tanks; a conveyance mechanism placed in the conveyance space and being configured to convey a substrate between the processing tanks along the arrangement direction; and an air guide duct provided to extend along the arrangement direction in the conveyance space. The air guide duct is connected with a fan filter unit. Each of the processing tanks is connected with an exhaust duct. An opening is formed in each of parts facing the processing tank in the air guide duct. The conveyance spaces of the first and second processing units are separated into upper and lower segments by the partition wall.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing unit and a second processing unit placed in upper and lower two stages. Each processing unit has: a plurality of processing tanks arranged in series; a partition wall defining a conveyance space extending along an arrangement direction outside the plurality of processing tanks; a conveyance mechanism placed in the conveyance space and being configured to convey a substrate between the processing tanks along the arrangement direction; and an air guide duct provided to extend along the arrangement direction in the conveyance space. The air guide duct is connected with a fan filter unit. Each of the processing tanks is connected with an exhaust duct. An opening is formed in each of parts facing the processing tank in the air guide duct. The conveyance spaces of the first and second processing units are separated into upper and lower segments by the partition wall.

An apparatus for chemical-mechanical polishing is provided, including: a plurality of polishing sections spaced apart from one another, each polishing section including: a bracket, a carrier head and a platen, the carrier head being disposed on the bracket and configured to move between a polishing position and a conveying position, in which when the carrier head is located at the polishing position, the carrier head is located above the platen; and a conveying assembly, the conveying assembly including: a rotating plate and a plurality of loading and unloading tables, the plurality of loading and unloading tables being spaced apart from one another, disposed on the rotating plate and configured to rotate along with the rotating plate, in which when the carrier head is located at the conveying position, the carrier head is corresponding to one of the plurality of loading and unloading tables.

The invention provides a method for polishing or planarizing a wafer of at least one of semiconductor, optical and magnetic substrates. The method includes rotating a polishing pad, the rotating polishing pad having radial feeder grooves in the polishing layer separating the polishing layer into polishing regions. The polishing regions are circular sectors defined by two adjacent radial feeder grooves. The radial feeder grooves extend from a location adjacent the center to a location adjacent the outer edge. Each polishing region includes a series of biased grooves connecting a pair of adjacent radial feeder grooves. Pressing and rotating the wafer against the rotating polishing pad for multiple rotations of the polishing pad adjusts polishing by either increasing or decreasing residence time of the polishing fluid under the wafer.

The invention provides a method for polishing or planarizing a wafer of at least one of semiconductor, optical and magnetic substrates. The method includes rotating a polishing pad, the rotating polishing pad having radial feeder grooves in the polishing layer separating the polishing layer into polishing regions. The polishing regions are circular sectors defined by two adjacent radial feeder grooves. The radial feeder grooves extend from a location adjacent the center to a location adjacent the outer edge. Each polishing region includes a series of biased grooves connecting a pair of adjacent radial feeder grooves. Pressing and rotating the wafer against the rotating polishing pad for multiple rotations of the polishing pad adjusts polishing by either increasing or decreasing residence time of the polishing fluid under the wafer.

The polishing pad is suitable for polishing or planarizing a wafer of at least one of semiconductor, optical and magnetic substrates. The polishing pad includes radial feeder grooves in a polishing layer separating the polishing layer into polishing regions. The radial feeder grooves extend at least from a location adjacent the center to a location adjacent the outer edge of the polishing pad. Each polishing region including a series of biased grooves that connects a pair of adjacent radial feeder grooves. A majority of the biased grooves having either an inward bias toward the center of the polishing pad or an outward bias for directing polishing fluid toward the outer edge of the polishing pad.