A substrate processing apparatus includes a holder having thereon an attraction surface configured to attract a substrate and including an outer attracting member configured to attract a peripheral portion of the substrate and an inner attracting member configured to attract a portion of the substrate inside the peripheral portion of the substrate attracted by the outer attracting member in a diametrical direction of the attraction surface; a moving device configured to move the outer attracting member with respect to the inner attracting member; and a controller configured to control a distortion, which is caused at the substrate attracted to the attraction surface, by controlling a movement of the outer attracting member with respect to the inner attracting member.

An apparatus for supporting a process of debonding a carrier glass sheet and an ultrathin glass sheet. A suction plate includes a plurality of suction hole portions defining suction holes for suction-holding a glass laminate seated thereon and at least one recess portion defining at least one recess accommodating at least one device layer protruding from one surface of an ultrathin glass sheet of the glass laminate. A plurality of suction cups are fitted to the plurality of suction hole portions, respectively, such that the plurality of suction cups are elastically compressible, in response to contact pressure of the ultrathin glass sheet and the device layer. A vacuum pump is connected to the plurality of suction hole portions to apply negative pressure to the plurality of suction hole portions. A controller controls the vacuum pump to adjust the negative pressure applied to the plurality of suction hole portions.

A bonding apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a first holder and a second holder. The first holder holds a first substrate. The second holder sucks a second substrate, opposes the second substrate to the first substrate, and bonds the second substrate to the first substrate. A first ring stage is provided on an outer circumference of the first holder and allows a first ring member provided on an outer edge of the first substrate to be mounted thereon. A second ring stage is provided on an outer circumference of the second holder and allows a second ring member provided on an outer edge of the second substrate to be mounted thereon. A first heater is provided in the first ring stage. A second heater is provided in the second ring stage.

A method of processing a wafer having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface is provided. The method includes the steps of: holding the second surface of the wafer such that the first surface thereof is exposed; processing an exposed first surface side of an outer circumferential edge portion of the wafer with a processing tool including a grinding stone made of abrasive grains bound together by a bonding material, thereby forming on the outer circumferential edge portion a slanted surface that is inclined to the first surface so as to be progressively closer to the second surface in a direction from a central area of the wafer toward an outer circumferential edge thereof; and coating the first surface of the wafer with a liquid material according to a spin coating process, thereby forming a resist film on the first surface of the wafer.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a chuck table including a mounting table having a mounting surface on which a substrate is mounted, wherein the mounting surface is a curved surface; and a laser supply head configured to irradiate the substrate attached to the mounting table with a laser beam.

The present invention aims at eliminating a need for a moving mechanism that moves a machining table and eliminating a need for a protective cover such as a bellows cover, and includes a machining table that holds a workpiece, a machining mechanism that machines the workpiece with a rotary tool while using a machining liquid, and a moving mechanism that linearly moves the machining mechanism at least in each of X and Y directions on a horizontal plane, in which the machining mechanism moved by the moving mechanism machines the workpiece with respect to the machining table, the machining table being fixed at least in the X and Y directions.

A laminated wafer grinding method includes applying a laser beam having such a wavelength as to be transmitted through a first wafer to the first wafer along a first annular street set on the inner side of a peripheral edge of the first wafer to form a first annular modified layer, and applying the laser beam to the first wafer along at least one second street set in an annular region extending from the first street to the peripheral edge of the first wafer to form a second modified layer that partitions the annular region into two or more parts, causing a cutting blade to cut into the annular region to a predetermined depth of the first wafer to cut the annular region, and grinding a second surface side of the first wafer to thin the first wafer to a finished thickness and removing the annular region.

Microelectronic devices may include an active surface and a side surface. The side surface may include a first portion having a reflective surface and a second portion having a non-reflective surface. The reflective surface may be formed by depositing a conductive material in trenches formed in material of the wafer along streets between the microelectronic devices on a wafer. The conductive material may be heated. The wafer may be cooled after the conductive material is heated fracturing the wafer along the streets and separating the microelectronic devices.

A method of processing a wafer to divide the wafer into individual device chips, includes a second modified layer forming step of applying a laser beam to the wafer while positioning a focused spot of the laser beam inside the wafer along the projected dicing lines extending in a second direction intersecting with a first direction, thereby forming second modified layers in the wafer along the projected dicing lines extending in the second direction. In the second modified layer forming step, when the focused spot of the laser beam along the projected dicing lines extending in the second direction reaches first modified layers, the focused spot of the laser beam is shifted along the first modified layers to thereby undulate the laser beam in a staggered pattern to prevent the second modified layers from being formed straight in the wafer along the projected dicing lines extending in the second direction.

A wafer adaptor ring assembly for adapting an adapted sized wafer for plasma dicing by a plasma etch chamber designed for dicing a designed sized wafer, which is larger than the adapted sized wafer is disclosed. The wafer adaptor ring assembly includes a primary wafer ring designed for plasma dicing the designed sized wafer by the plasma, an adhesive sheet attached to a bottom surface of the primary wafer ring, and an adapted sized wafer disposed on the adhesive sheet between the primary wafer ring and the adapted sized wafer. A system for assembling and disassembling the wafer adaptor ring assembly is also disclosed.