An apparatus may include a superstrate. The superstrate may have a body with a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a first diameter. The superstrate may also include a mesa on the first side of the body. The mesa may have a second diameter. The center point of the body can be different from the center point of the mesa.

A substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate includes a substrate holder configured to hold, in a combined substrate in which a first substrate and a second substrate are bonded to each other, the second substrate; a periphery removing unit configured to remove, starting from a periphery modification layer formed on the first substrate along a boundary between a peripheral portion to be removed and a central portion of the first substrate, the peripheral portion from the combined substrate held by the substrate holder; and a collection unit equipped with a collection mechanism configured to collect the peripheral portion removed by the periphery removing unit.

There is provided a processing method of a wafer for processing the wafer that includes, on a front surface side, a device region in which a device is formed in each of plural regions marked out by plural planned dividing lines and includes a recess part on the back surface side and includes an annular reinforcing part at a peripheral part. The processing method of a wafer includes a holding step of holding the bottom surface of the recess part, a cutting step of cutting the wafer along the planned dividing lines by a cutting blade to divide the device region into plural device chips and form grooves on the front surface side of the reinforcing part, and a dividing step of dividing the reinforcing part along the planned dividing lines with the grooves being the points of origin by giving an external force to the reinforcing part.

Disclosed is a polyurethane for use in a polishing layer, including a carboxylic acid ester group, and a polyurethane preferably having a carboxylic acid ester group in at least one of a side chain, a main chain terminal, and a main chain skeleton is preferably used. Also disclosed is a method for modifying a polishing layer, including the steps of: preparing a polishing layer including a polyurethane having a carboxylic acid ester group; and hydrolyzing the carboxylic acid ester group of the polyurethane, to produce a carboxyl group.

In a processing method for a wafer with a mark formed in an outer peripheral portion thereof, a frame unit having the wafer, a tape, and a ring frame is provided, a set of processing conditions for processing the wafer is selected, and a representative image associated with the set of processing conditions is displayed on a display unit. The ring frame includes a notch formed in an outer periphery thereof. In the frame unit, the mark and the notch are in a positional relationship set in accordance with the set of processing conditions. The positional relationship is presented in the representative image.

A processing water supply system for supplying processing water to a processing apparatus includes a first heat exchanger that cools the processing water by heat of vaporization of a cooling medium, a second heat exchanger that cools the cooling medium compressed to reach a high temperature, a cooling water receiving route that receives the cooling water from cooling water supply equipment to the second heat exchanger, a cooling water drain route that drains the cooling water heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger to reach a high temperature to drain equipment, and a bypass route that is disposed between the cooling water receiving route and the cooling water drain route and adjusts the cooling water reaching the high temperature at the second heat exchanger to a temperature permissible by the drain equipment.

This patent application relates to methods and apparatus for temperature modification and reduction of contamination in bonding stacked microelectronic devices with heat applied from a bond head of a thermocompression bonding tool. The stack is substantially enclosed within a skirt carried by the bond head to reduce heat loss and contaminants from the stack, and heat may be added from the skirt.

A wafer processing method for processing a wafer with devices formed in regions on a side of a front surface of the wafer, the regions being defined by first scheduled division lines and second scheduled division lines includes a first modified layer forming step and a second modified layer forming step. In the first modified layer forming step, a laser beam is irradiated with its focal point set at a height leveled with a height of a first region located inside the wafer on the side of the front surface of the wafer, whereby first modified layers are formed. In the second modified layer forming step, the laser beam is irradiated with its focal point set at a height leveled with a height of a second region located inside the wafer on a side of a back surface of the wafer, whereby second modified layers are formed.

In a described example, an apparatus includes: a process chamber configured for a pressure greater than one atmosphere, having a device chuck configured to support electronic devices that are mounted on package substrates and partially covered in mold compound, the electronic devices spaced from one another by saw streets; and a saw in the process chamber configured to cut through the mold compound and package substrates in the saw streets to separate the molded electronic devices one from another.

A substrate storing and aligning apparatus is proposed. The substrate storing and aligning apparatus is capable of efficiently using space in substrate bonding equipment. The substrate storing and aligning apparatus in the substrate bonding equipment for bonding substrates includes a front end buffer including a front end storing slot configured to temporarily store a substrate, and a front end opening configured such that a transfer robot is movable therethrough to transfer the substrate from the front end storing slot, and a front end aligner provided to be stacked on an upper portion of the front end buffer, and configured to rotate the substrate so as to align the substrate.