Methods and apparatus for cleaving a substrate in a semiconductor chamber. The semiconductor chamber pressure is adjusted to a process pressure, a substrate is then heated to a nucleation temperature of ions implanted in the substrate, the temperature of the substrate is then adjusted below the nucleation temperature of the ions, and the temperature is maintained until cleaving of the substrate occurs. Microwaves may be used to provide heating of the substrate for the processes. A cleaving sensor may be used for detection of successful cleaving by detecting pressure changes, acoustic emissions, changes within the substrate, and/or residual gases given off by the implanted ions when the cleaving occurs.

A wafer processing apparatus of the present invention includes a first chamber unit in which a first wafer part including a retainer ring portion and a plurality of sawn first dies is processed, a second chamber unit in which a second wafer part including a wafer part or a carrier substrate is processed, and a third chamber unit in which the first dies of the first wafer part processed in the first chamber unit and the second wafer part processed in the second chamber unit are stacked and pre-bonded.

Provided is a manufacturing method of semiconductor apparatus comprising a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising: grinding a first surface of the semiconductor substrate to form an outer peripheral surplus region on an outer periphery of the semiconductor substrate; and spin etching the first surface of the semiconductor substrate by a chemical liquid, and wherein after the grinding, in a region of the semiconductor substrate which is closer to an inner side than the outer peripheral surplus region, a thickness of the semiconductor substrate in an end portion of the region is greater than a thickness of the semiconductor substrate in a center portion of the region.

There is provided a cutting method of a wafer for cutting the wafer that includes a circular recess part and an annular projection part. The cutting method of a wafer includes a tape sticking step of sticking an adhesive tape along the recess part and the projection part, a holding step of sucking the adhesive tape stuck to the recess part by a holding surface of a chuck table having the holding surface with a smaller diameter than the recess part to hold the wafer by the chuck table with the interposition of the adhesive tape, and a cutting step of separating the recess part and the projection part by making a cutting blade that rotates cut into the wafer and rotating the chuck table in the state in which the projection part is not fixed.

A wafer cleaning apparatus of the present invention includes a vacuum chuck unit on which a wafer is mounted, and an ultrasonic cleaning module configured to spray a cleaning solution onto the wafer and apply ultrasonic waves to the cleaning solution to ultrasonically vibrate the cleaning solution.

A device includes a first laser emitter, a second laser emitter, and a separating portion. The first laser emitter is configured to emit, in an outer circumferential portion of a bonded substrate including a first substrate and a second substrate bonded to each other, a first laser beam into the first substrate from a side of the first substrate to form a modified layer. The second laser emitter is configured to emit a second laser beam to a material layer that is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate and is provided on the second substrate from a side of the second substrate, to cause peeling between the second substrate and the material layer. The separating portion is configured to separate an outer circumferential portion of the first substrate and an outer circumferential portion of the material layer from the outer circumferential portion of the bonded substrate.

Various embodiments of wafer bonding apparatuses and methods are described herein for reducing distortion in a post-bonded wafer pair. More specifically, the present disclosure provides embodiments of wafer bonding apparatuses and methods to reduce post-bond wafer distortion that occurs primarily within the center and/or the edge of the post-bonded wafer pair. In the present disclosure, post-bonded wafer distortion is reduced by correcting for variations in the pre-bond wafer shapes. Variations in pre-bond wafer shape are corrected, or compensated for, by making hardware modifications to the wafer chuck. Such modifications may include, but are not limited to, modifications to the surface height and/or the temperature of the wafer chuck. Although hardware modifications are disclosed herein for reducing post-bond wafer distortion near the center and/or the edge of the post-bonded wafer pair, similar modifications can be made to reduce post-bond wafer distortion within other areas or zones of the post-bonded wafer pair.

A method includes mounting a first wafer on a first wafer chuck and mounting a second wafer on a second wafer chuck. The second wafer is brought into physical contact with the first wafer. A relative distance between the first wafer and the second wafer is monitored using a distance sensor. A pressure of a vacuum zone on the second wafer chuck is controlled using feedback from the distance sensor. The bonded first wafer and second wafer are removed from the first wafer chuck.

A cutting method includes: forming a reformed region in a workpiece; and after forming the reformed region in the workpiece, cutting the workpiece along an intended cut line. In the cutting the workpiece, a dry etching process is performed from a front surface toward a rear surface of the workpiece while the workpiece is fixed on a support member at least under its own weight or by suction, to form a groove from the front surface to reach the rear surface of the workpiece.

A polishing method capable of improving a spatial resolution of a film-thickness measurement without changing a measuring cycle of a film-thickness sensor and without increasing an amount of measurement data is disclosed. The polishing method includes: rotating a first film-thickness sensor and a second film-thickness sensor together with a polishing table, the first film-thickness sensor and the second film-thickness sensor being located at the same distance from a center of the polishing table; causing the first film-thickness sensor and the second film-thickness sensor to generate signal values indicating film thicknesses at measurement points on a surface of a substrate, while a polishing head is pressing the substrate against a polishing pad on the rotating polishing table, the measurement points being located at different distances from a center of the substrate; and controlling polishing pressure applied from the polishing head to the substrate based on the signal values generated by the first film-thickness sensor and the second film-thickness sensor.