A material processing apparatus including a processing chamber, an external pressure source, a pressure reducer, a temperature regulator, and a controller is provided. The processing chamber has an internal space. The external pressure source is connected to the processing chamber to pressurize the internal space. The pressure reducer is connected to the processing chamber to depressurize the internal space. The temperature regulator is arranged in the processing chamber to adjust the temperature in the internal space. The controller is configured to control the external pressure source and the temperature regulator to respectively increase the temperature to a first predetermined temperature and the pressure to a first predetermined pressure, and to control the pressure in the processing chamber to rise continuously before the temperature in the processing chamber rises to the first predetermined temperature. An operating method of a material processing apparatus is further provided.

In an embodiment is provided a method of forming a blind via in a substrate comprising a mask layer, a conductive layer, and a dielectric layer that includes conveying the substrate to a scanning chamber; determining one or more properties of the blind via, the one or more properties comprising a top diameter, a bottom diameter, a volume, or a taper angle of about 80° or more; focusing a laser beam at the substrate to remove at least a portion of the mask layer; adjusting the laser process parameters based on the one or more properties; and focusing the laser beam, under the adjusted laser process parameters, to remove at least a portion of the dielectric layer within the volume to form the blind via. In some embodiments, the mask layer can be pre-etched. In another embodiment is provided an apparatus for forming a blind via in a substrate.

A wafer bonding apparatus including a first stage having a first surface and being configured to hold a first wafer on the first surface; a second stage having a second surface and being configured to hold a second wafer on the second surface facing the first surface; a first target image sensor on an outer portion of the first stage; a second target image sensor on an outer portion of the second stage; and a target portion on the first or second stage, the target portion having a target plate fixedly installed and spaced apart from the first or second target image sensor by a predetermined distance, wherein, in an alignment measurement of the first and second stages, the first and second stages are movable so that the first and second target image sensors face each other and the target plate is between the first and second target image sensors.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method that includes aligned a first wafer with a second wafer. The second wafer is spaced apart from the first wafer. The first wafer is arranged on a first electrostatic chuck (ESC). The first ESC has electrostatic contacts that are configured to attract the first wafer to the first ESC. Further, the second wafer is brought toward the first wafer to directly contact the first wafer at an inter-wafer interface. The inter-wafer interface is localized to a center of the first wafer. The second wafer is deformed to gradually expand the inter-wafer interface from the center of the first wafer toward an edge of the first wafer. The electrostatic contacts of the first ESC are turned OFF such that the first and second wafers are bonded to one another by the inter-wafer interface.

A method of processing a wafer with a metal film to divide the wafer into individual device chips along a grid of projected dicing lines where the mechanical strength of the wafer is reduced. The method includes the steps of sticking a holding tape to a face side of the wafer, holding the wafer while a reverse side of the wafer with the metal film thereon is being exposed, and drawing the wafer under suction along the projected dicing lines to fracture the wafer along the projected dicing lines while the reverse side of the wafer is being cooled in its entirety.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for separating a solar cell into two or more solar cell pieces. The apparatus includes a moveable arrangement, a separation device attached to the moveable arrangement, and a holding device attached to the moveable arrangement via one or more elastic elements.

A substrate processing system includes: a modification layer forming device configured to form a modification layer within a first substrate along a boundary between a peripheral portion to be removed and a central portion of the first substrate; an interface processing device configured to process an interface where the first substrate and a second substrate are bonded in the peripheral portion; a periphery removing device configured to remove the peripheral portion starting from the modification layer; a position detection device configured to detect a position of the modification layer or a position of the interface; and a control device configured to control the modification layer forming device and the interface processing device. The control device controls the position of the interface based on the detected position of the modification layer, or controls the position of the modification layer based on the detected position of the interface.

A substrate processing system includes a first main surface grinding device configured to grind, while holding a substrate from below with a first main surface of the substrate facing upwards, the first main surface of the substrate; a first inverting device configured to invert the substrate ground by the first main surface grinding device; and a second main surface grinding device configured to grin, while holding the ground first main surface of the substrate from below with a second main surface of the substrate facing upwards, the second main surface of the substrate.

A parameter adjustment method includes an acquisition process and a parameter changing process. The acquisition process acquires, from an inspection apparatus configured to inspect a combined substrate in which the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded by the bonding apparatus, an inspection result indicating a direction and a degree of distortion occurring in the combined substrate. The parameter changing process changes at least one of multiple parameters including at least one of the gap, an attraction pressure of the first substrate by the first holder, an attraction pressure of the second substrate by the second holder or a pressing force on the first substrate by the striker, based on trend information indicating a tendency of a change in the direction and the degree of the distortion when each of the multiple parameters is changed and the inspection result acquired in the acquiring of the inspection result.

Provided is a method of chamfer machining a silicon wafer which makes it possible to increase the number of machining operations that can be performed using a chamfering wheel used for helical chamfer machining in the case of obtaining a small finished wafer taper angle. The method in which helical chamfer machining is performed so that the finished wafer taper angle θ of an edge portion in the one silicon wafer is within an allowable angle range of a target wafer taper angle θ.sub.0 includes a first truing step; a first chamfer machining step; a step of determining a groove bottom diameter ϕ.sub.A of the fine grinding grindstone portion; a second truing step using a second truer taper angle α.sub.2; and a second chamfer machining step. The second truer taper angle α.sub.2 is made larger than the first truer taper angle α.sub.1.