A method of processing a substrate, with a first major surface of the substrate removably bonded to a first major surface of a first carrier and a second major surface of the substrate removably bonded to a first major surface of a second carrier, includes initiating debonding at a first location of an outer peripheral bonded interface between the substrate and the first carrier to separate a portion of the first carrier from the substrate. The method further includes propagating a first debond front from the first debonded location along a first direction extending away from the first debonded location by sequentially applying a plurality of lifting forces to the first carrier at a corresponding plurality of sequential lifting locations of the first carrier.

The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to a debonding and cleaning apparatus. The apparatus has a debonding module configured to separate semiconductor substrates from carrier substrates. A first cleaning module is configured to clean surfaces of a first plurality of the semiconductor substrates and a second cleaning module is configured to clean surfaces of a second plurality of the semiconductor substrates. The apparatus also has a first substrate handling module including a first robotic arm in communication with the debonding module and a second substrate handling module including a second robotic arm that is located between the first cleaning module and the second cleaning module. The second substrate handling module is configured to transfer the first plurality of the semiconductor substrates to first cleaning module and to transfer the second plurality of the semiconductor substrates to the second cleaning module.

A bonding system includes a surface modifying apparatus configured to modify a bonding surface of a first substrate and a bonding surface of a second substrate; a surface hydrophilizing apparatus configured to hydrophilize the modified bonding surface of the first substrate and the modified bonding surface of the second substrate; a bonding apparatus configured to perform bonding of the hydrophilized bonding surface of the first substrate and the hydrophilized bonding surface of the second substrate in a state that the bonding surfaces face each other; and a cleaning apparatus configured to clean, before the bonding is performed, a non-bonding surface of, between the first substrate and the second substrate, at least one which is maintained flat when the bonding is performed, the not-bonding surface being opposite to the bonding surface.

A substrate stack holder and a container comprising a multiplicity of such substrate stack holders as well as a method for parting a substrate stack.

A method of debonding a substrate from a layer sequence includes a) providing a composite including a wafer with the substrate, the layer sequence applied to a growth surface of the substrate, and a sacrificial layer arranged between the substrate and the layer sequence, a carrier on a cover surface of the layer sequence facing away from the substrate, and at least two separating trenches extending in the vertical direction through the layer sequence and to and/or through the sacrificial layer, b) attaching a pumping device on the composite and forming a second direct flow path between the separating trenches and the pumping device, c) introducing the composite into an etching bath with an etching solution, d) generating a pressure gradient between separating trenches and the etching solution, and e) debonding the substrate.

A wafer is transferred to a holding surface of a chuck table by using a transfer unit having a suction pad. The front side of the wafer is held under suction through a protective tape on the holding surface, and the suction pad is removed from the back side of the wafer. A modified layer is formed on the back side of the wafer along division lines. The wafer is transferred by mounting the wafer held by the suction pad on the holding surface and sandwiching the wafer between the suction pad and the holding surface of the chuck table. A suction force is applied to the holding surface of the chuck table to thereby hold the front side of the wafer through the protective tape on the holding surface of the chuck table under suction, and the suction pad is then removed from the back side of the wafer.

A wafer is processed by transferring a wafer to a holding surface of a chuck table by using a suction pad. The front side of the wafer is held through a protective tape on the holding surface under suction. The suction pad is then removed from the back side of the wafer and the back side of the wafer is ground, thereby thinning the wafer and also dividing the wafer into individual device chips. The wafer is mounted on the holding surface while held by the suction pad. The wafer is sandwiched between the suction pad and the holding surface when the suction force is removed. A suction force is applied to the holding surface to thereby hold the front side of the wafer through the protective tape on the holding surface, and the suction pad is then removed from the back side of the wafer.

A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising the steps of providing a matrix substrate having a main surface with plural device areas formed thereon, fixing plural semiconductor chips to the plural device areas respectively, then sealing the plural semiconductor chips all together with resin to form a block sealing member, dividing the block sealing member and the matrix substrate for each of the device areas by dicing, thereafter rubbing a surface of each of the diced sealing member portions with a brush, then storing semiconductor devices formed by the dicing once into pockets respectively of a tray, and conveying the semiconductor devices each individually from the tray. Since the substrate dividing work after block molding is performed by dicing while vacuum-chucking the surface of the block sealing member, the substrate division can be done without imposing any stress on an external terminal mounting surface of the matrix substrate.

A holding device for a fracturable assembly, which is intended to separate along a fracture plane defined between an upper part and a lower part of the fracturable assembly, comprises at least two protrusions configured to hold keep the fracturable assembly suspended in a substantially horizontal holding position, the protrusions being intended to be located between the upper part and the lower part, against a peripheral chamfer of the upper part; a support located below and at a distance from the, protrusions so as to gravitationally receive the lower part when the fracturable assembly is separated, and to keep it at a distance from the upper part held by the protrusions.

A flexible substrate mount for holding a first substrate when the first substrate is being detached from a second substrate, and detachment means for debonding of the second substrate by bending the first substrate. Furthermore, this invention relates to a device for detaching a first substrate from a second substrate in one detachment direction (L) with the following features: a substrate mount for holding the first substrate, said first substrate mount being flexible in the detachment direction (L), a substrate mount for holding the second substrate and detachment means for the debonding of the first substrate from the second substrate as the first substrate bends, and a method of using the same.