A clamping device for clamping silicon wafers of different sizes and cleaning same includes a main body and a plurality of clamping mechanisms. The surface of the main body defines a plurality of receiving grooves. Separate circular and concentric rows of clamping mechanisms are radially disposed around a central axis of the main body. The clamping mechanism includes first and second clamping members each received in one of the receiving grooves and are adjustable in respect of working height above or flush with the carrying surface of the main body. The first clamping member is closer to the center axis with respect to the second clamping member. A cleaning device with the clamping device is also disclosed.

A substrate treating apparatus includes a carrier platform, a transport mechanism, and a controller. The carrier platform places a carrier thereon. The carrier includes a plurality of shelves arranged in an up-down direction. The shelves are each configured to place one substrate thereon in a horizontal posture. The transport mechanism is configured to transport a substrate to a carrier placed on the carrier platform. The controller controls the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism includes a hand and a hand driving unit. The hand supports a substrate. The hand driving unit moves the hand. The controller changes a height position of the hand when the hand is inserted between two of the shelves adjacent to each other in the up-down direction, depending on a shape of a substrate taken from or placed on one of the shelves by the transport mechanism.

A substrate aligner providing minimal substrate transporter extend and retract motions to quickly align substrate without back side damage while increasing the throughput of substrate processing. In one embodiment, the aligner having an inverted chuck connected to a frame with a substrate transfer system capable of transferring substrate from chuck to transporter without rotationally repositioning substrate. The inverted chuck eliminates aligner obstruction of substrate fiducials and along with the transfer system, allows transporter to remain within the frame during alignment. In another embodiment, the aligner has a rotatable sensor head connected to a frame and a substrate support with transparent rest pads for supporting the substrate during alignment so transporter can remain within the frame during alignment. Substrate alignment is performed independent of fiducial placement on support pads. In other embodiments the substrate support employs a buffer system for buffering substrate inside the apparatus allowing for fast swapping of substrates.

Some examples provide a vacuum wafer chuck assembly for supporting a wafer. An example chuck assembly comprises a chuck hub and a centering hub disposed within the chuck hub. Chuck arms are mounted to the chuck hub, with each chuck arm extending radially between a proximal end adjacent the chuck hub, and a distal end remote therefrom. A plurality of centering cams is provided, each cam mounted at or towards a distal end of a chuck arm and being movable radially inwardly or outwardly relative to the centering hub to engage or release an edge of a supported wafer in response to a rotational movement of the centering hub. At least one vacuum pad is provided for supporting the wafer during a wafer centering or wafer processing operation.

A technique for handling an integrated circuit/tape assembly having a plurality of integrated circuits supported by underlying dicing tape involves placing the integrated circuit/tape assembly on a bottom file frame carrier (FFC) frame having structure (e.g., an inner rim or flexible pegs), placing a top FFC frame having a central opening over the integrated circuit/tape assembly, and mating the top and bottom FFC frames such that the dicing tape is pulled over the structure thereby laterally stretching the dicing tape, which breaks wafer saw bows holding the integrated circuits together. The lateral stretching of the dicing tape increases distance between adjacent integrated circuits in at least two mutually orthogonal lateral directions, thereby inhibiting the adjacent integrated circuits from colliding during shipment or storage for subsequent processing. The resulting assembly can be thinner than conventional FFC configurations, which results in more efficient shipment and storage.

A device for detecting whether a wafer is present on a clamping jaw and detecting whether the wafer is parallel to a bottom of the clamping jaw. The device for detecting a wafer comprises: a wafer parallel measuring unit arranged in a CMP cleaning and drying device, and used for emitting a parallel measuring laser beam parallel to the bottom of the clamping jaw and receiving the parallel measuring laser beam; a wafer detection unit used for emitting a wafer detecting laser beam to the wafer and receiving the wafer detecting laser beam; and a detection processing unit electrically connected to the wafer parallel measuring unit and the wafer detection unit, and used for determining whether the wafer is present on the clamping jaw and whether the wafer is parallel to the bottom of the clamping jaw according to the received wafer detecting laser beam and parallel measuring laser beam.

A wafer carrier includes a pocket sized and shaped to accommodate a wafer, the pocket having a base and a substantially circular perimeter, and a removable orientation marker, the removable orientation marker comprising an outer surface and an inner surface, the outer surface having an arcuate form sized and shaped to mate with the substantially circular perimeter of the pocket, and the inner surface comprising a flat face, wherein the removable orientation marker further comprises a notch at a first end of the flat face.

In a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid onto a lower surface of a substrate being rotated, to thereby process the substrate, provided are an upper support body which is separably placed on a lower support body, a plurality of upper holding members protruding downward from the upper support body, for holding the substrate, and an upper hold-driving part for moving the upper holding members separably from and contactably with an outer edge portion of the substrate. Preferably, the upper hold-driving part moves the upper holding members by using a magnetic action between holding-side magnetic members and an annular driving-side magnetic member.

In a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate being rotated, to thereby process the substrate, an upper support body which is a placement member is separably placed on a lower support body for supporting the substrate. The upper support body is moved up and down by an up-and-down moving part. The upper support body includes a first contact part outside an outer periphery of the substrate in a radial direction. When a second contact part of the up-and-down moving part goes up, the second contact part comes into contact with the first contact part, to thereby move the upper support body up. When the second contact part goes down, the upper support body is placed on the lower support body and the second contact part is separated from the first contact part, and in this state, the lower support body is rotatable.

A substrate processing apparatus comprises a holder configured to hold a substrate; a processing liquid supply configured to supply a processing liquid onto the substrate held by the holder; and a resistance value varying mechanism configured to vary an electrical resistance of the holder in contact with the substrate.