A notch detecting method for detecting a notch defined in an outer circumferential portion of a wafer includes a placing step of placing the wafer on a rotary table, an image capturing step of acquiring an image of the outer circumferential portion of the wafer, a contour data acquiring step of acquiring contour data including coordinates of a contour of the wafer, a hypothetical circle calculating step of calculating a hypothetical circle that approximates the contour of the wafer, an irregularly shaped area determining step of determining whether an irregularly shaped area exists in the outer circumferential portion of the wafer or not, and a first notch determining step of determining whether the irregularly shaped area is the notch or not.

A transfer apparatus holdes a plate-shaped workpiece under suction in a noncontact condition and transfers the workpiece. The transfer apparatus includes a base, a Bernoulli transfer pad fixed to the base for spraying air toward the workpiece to produce a vacuum, and a moving unit for moving the base. The Bernoulli transfer pad includes a cylindrical pad body. The pad body has a lower surface as a holding surface to which a fluid spraying portion opens and an annular pad mounting portion for mounting an annular pad. When the annular pad is mounted on the annular pad mounting portion, the holding surface is increased in a radial direction of the pad body to thereby increase a suction force for sucking the workpiece.

A method of selectively transferring micro devices from a donor substrate to contact pads on a receiver substrate. Micro devices being attached to a donor substrate with a donor force. The donor substrate and receiver substrate are aligned and brought together so that selected micro devices meet corresponding contact pads. A receiver force is generated to hold selected micro devices to the contact pads on the receiver substrate. The donor force is weakened and the substrates are moved apart leaving selected micro devices on the receiver substrate. Several methods of generating the receiver force are disclosed, including adhesive, mechanical and electrostatic techniques.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a n EMI calculation program that causes at least one computer to execute a process, the process includes inputting circuit information of a first circuit to a machine learning model; acquiring an EMI value at a certain frequency of the first circuit; selecting, based on an impedance characteristic of the first circuit and the EMI value at the certain frequency, first EMI information from a plurality of pieces of EMI information in each of which an impedance characteristic of each of a plurality of circuits is associated with EMI values at a plurality of frequencies of each of the plurality of circuits; and acquiring an EMI value at another frequency different from the certain frequency of the first circuit based on the EMI value at the certain frequency and the first EMI information.

A chuck assembly includes an upper surface configured to support a wafer-level package assembly and a clamping mechanism securing the wafer-level package assembly to the upper surface.

A lift pin mechanism employed within a process module includes a plurality of lift pins distributed uniformly along a circumference of a lower electrode defined in the process module. Each lift pin includes a top member that is separated from a bottom member by a collar defined by a chamfer. A sleeve is defined in a housing within a body of the lower electrode on which a substrate is received for processing. The housing is disposed below a mid ring that is defined in the lower electrode. The collar of the lift pin is used to engage with a bottom side of the sleeve, and a top side of the sleeve is configured to engage with the mid ring, when the lift pins are activated. An actuator coupled to each of the plurality of lift pins and an actuator drive connected to the actuators is used to drive the plurality of lift pins. A controller is coupled to the actuator drive to control movement of the plurality of lift pins.

A method reduces differences in chucking forces that are applied by two electrodes of an electrostatic chuck, to a substrate disposed atop the chuck. The method includes providing initial chucking voltages to each of the two electrodes, and measuring an initial current provided to at least a first electrode of the two electrodes. The method further includes initiating a process that affects a DC voltage of the substrate, then measuring a modified current provided to at least the first electrode, and determining, based at least on the initial current and the modified current, a modified chucking voltage for a selected one of the two electrodes, that will reduce chucking force imbalance across the substrate. The method also includes providing the modified chucking voltage to the selected one of the two electrodes.

In the invention, a rotating cup includes a lower cup to be rotated about the axis of rotation by receiving a cup driving force applied from a rotating mechanism and an upper cup for collecting the liquid droplets scattered through the collection space while rotating about the axis of rotation integrally with the lower cup by being coupled to the lower cup. The upper cup includes a first coupling part allowing communication between the collection space and a discharge space by being located above the lower cup and forming a gap between the lower cup and the first coupling part, and an inclined part provided obliquely upward of a peripheral edge part of the substrate from the first coupling part and configured to collect the liquid droplets by an inclined surface facing the collection space.

Heating treatment is performed on a semiconductor wafer in an ammonia atmosphere formed in a chamber by light irradiation from halogen lamps and flash lamps. For the formation of the ammonia atmosphere in the chamber, pressure in the chamber is once reduced. The pressure in the chamber is also reduced after the heating treatment of the semiconductor wafer. Light irradiation from the halogen lamps is performed to heat the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure in the chamber is reduced by exhausting the atmosphere from the chamber. The heating of the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure reduction activates the thermal motion of gas molecules in the atmosphere and decreases a gas density. As a result, the gas molecules in the chamber are discharged rapidly during the pressure reduction, so that the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a predetermined pressure in a short time.

An apparatus for treating a substrate includes a process chamber having a treatment space defined therein, a support unit for supporting the substrate in the treatment space, a liquid supply unit for supplying treating liquid to the substrate supported on the support unit, and a heating unit disposed in the support unit for heating the substrate supported on the support unit, wherein the heating unit includes a plurality of lamps to heat the substrate, and a window disposed above the lamps to transmit light emitted from the lamps, wherein the window includes a base in a form of a plate, and light adjustment means formed on the base to spread or converge light emitted from the lamps.