A wedge-shaped jig (6) is inserted into a gap between a first substrate (21) and a second substrate (22) at a corner (221) of the second substrate (22) and separation of the attached first substrate (21) and second substrate (22) starts to proceed; then, a second suction pad (53) of a second suction portion (51), which is the closest to the corner (221), moves upward. Then, first suction pads (43) of first suction portions (41a), (41b), and (41c) sequentially move upward such that one side of the second substrate (22) separates from the stacked body. Although the second substrate (22) warps as the separation of the second substrate (22) proceeds, each of the plurality of first suction pads (43) elastically deforms. Therefore, the first suction pads (43) can be prevented from being detached from the second substrate (22), and the substrate (22) can be securely separated from the stacked body.

A thermocompression bonding method for thermocompression bonding a sheet to a workpiece, where the method includes a stacking step of placing the sheet between a flat plate and the workpiece to form a stack in which the sheet is held between the workpiece and an entire surface of the flat plate and a thermocompression bonding step of thermocompression bonding the sheet to the workpiece while planarizing the sheet with the flat plate by heating the sheet and applying an external force to the stack, after performing the stacking step.

Embodiments of the invention provide a non-uniform substrate polishing apparatus that includes a polishing pad with two or more zones, each zone adapted to apply a different slurry chemistry to a different area on a substrate to create a film thickness profile on the substrate having at least two different film thicknesses. Polishing methods and systems adapted to polish substrates are also provided, as are numerous other aspects.

According to an embodiment, a support module is provided for supporting a substrate. The support module may include a chuck and a vertical stage. The chuck may include multiple chuck segments that are independently movable. When the substrate is positioned on the chuck, different chuck segments are positioned under different areas of the substrate. The vertical stage may include multiple piezoelectric motors. Each piezoelectric motor may be configured to perform nanometric scale elevation and lowering movements. The multiple piezoelectric motors may be configured to independently move the multiple chuck segments.

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus which forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate by using a mold, the apparatus comprising a control unit configured to control a process of deforming the mold into a convex shape and bringing the mold and the imprint material into contact with each other, wherein the control unit determines, based on information indicating a relationship between a relative tilt between the mold and the substrate, and a moment which fluctuates the relative tilt at a time of contact between the mold and the imprint material, a target relative tilt such that a moment generated at the time of contact between the mold and the imprint material falls within an allowable range, and starts contact between the mold and the imprint material after setting the relative tilt to the target relative tilt.

A plasma processing apparatus that performs plasma processing on a substrate held on a transport carrier including an annular frame and a holding sheet. The apparatus includes a process chamber; a process gas supply unit that supplies process gas to the process chamber; a decompressing mechanism that decompresses the process chamber; a plasma excitation device that generates plasma in the process chamber; a stage in the chamber, on which the transport carrier is loaded; a cooling mechanism for cooling the stage; a cover that partly covers the holding sheet and the frame and that has a window section through which the substrate is partly exposed to plasma; a correction member that presses the frame onto the stage and corrects warpage of the frame; and a movement device that moves the correction member. The correction member is provided separately from the cover to be covered by the cover.

Disclosed herein is a laser processing apparatus including a beam swinging unit provided between a pulsed laser oscillator and a focusing unit for swinging the optical path of a pulsed laser beam oscillated from the pulsed laser oscillator and then introducing the pulsed laser beam to the focusing unit. The beam swinging unit includes a polygon scanner provided on the upstream side of the focusing unit for scanning the pulsed laser beam oscillated from the pulsed laser oscillator and introducing the pulsed laser beam scanned to the focusing unit and an acoustooptic deflecting unit provided on the upstream side of the polygon scanner and on the downstream side of the pulsed laser oscillator for deflecting the optical path of the pulsed laser beam oscillated from the pulsed laser oscillator and introducing the pulsed laser beam deflected to the polygon scanner.

A separating system includes a placing unit, a removing apparatus and a transfer device. The placing unit is configured to place therein a first cassette allowed to accommodate a combined substrate in which a first substrate and a second substrate are bonded to each other with a separation layer therebetween, a second cassette allowed to accommodate the first substrate, and a third cassette allowed to accommodate the second substrate. The removing apparatus is configured to remove the separation layer by radiating laser light to the combined substrate. The transfer device is configured to perform a processing of transferring the combined substrate to the removing apparatus and a processing of transferring the first substrate and the second substrate separated from the combined substrate to the placing unit.

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor package. The method includes disposing a first semiconductor substrate on a temporary carrier and dicing the first semiconductor substrate to form a plurality of dies. Each of the plurality of dies has an active surface and a backside surface opposite to the active surface. The backside surface is in contact with the temporary carrier and the active surface faces downward. The method also includes transferring one of the plurality of dies from the temporary carrier to a temporary holder. The temporary holder only contacts a periphery portion of the active surface of the one of the plurality of dies.

A substrate polishing apparatus is disclosed that includes a polishing platform having two or more zones, each zone adapted to receive a different slurry component. A substrate polishing system is provided having a holder to hold a substrate, a polishing platform having a polishing pad, and a distribution system adapted to dispense, in a timed sequence, at least two different slurry components selected from a group consisting of an oxidation slurry component, a material removal slurry component, and a corrosion inhibiting slurry component. Polishing methods and systems adapted to polish substrates are provided, as are numerous other aspects.