An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing of a wafer includes a process chamber and a rotatable platen disposed inside the process chamber. A polishing pad is disposed on the platen and a wafer carrier is disposed on the platen. A slurry supply port is configured to supply slurry on the platen. A process controller is configured to control operation of the apparatus. A set of microphones is disposed inside the process chamber. The set of microphones is arranged to detect sound in the process chamber during operation of the apparatus and transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the detected sound. A signal processor is configured to receive the electrical signal from the set of microphones, process the electrical signal to enable detection of an event during operation of the apparatus, and in response to detecting the event, transmit a feedback signal to the process controller. The process controller is further configured to receive the feedback signal and initiate an action based on the received feedback signal.

In a method of operating an apparatus for manufacturing or analyzing semiconductor wafers, sound in a process chamber of the apparatus during an operation of the apparatus is detected. An electrical signal corresponding to the detected sound is acquired by a signal processor. The acquired electrical signal is processed by the signal processor. An event during the operation of the apparatus is detected based on the processed electrical signal. The operation of the apparatus is controlled according to the detected event.

According to one embodiment, a polishing device includes a stage holding a wafer, a polishing part polishing a film formed on a circumferential edge portion of the wafer, a detector detecting a residual portion of the film on the circumferential edge portion, a first movable part moving the detector along a surface of the circumferential edge portion; and a controller controlling the polishing part based on a state of the circumferential edge portion detected by the detector.

A polishing apparatus includes an acoustic sensor, a sound collector, an analyzer, a feature quantity calculator, and an end point calculator. The acoustic sensor detects the polishing sound of an object. The sound collector collects a polishing sound detected by the acoustic sensor. The analyzer performs frequency analysis on the power spectrum of the polishing sound with a predetermined time resolution. The feature quantity calculator calculates an arithmetic value of the power spectra having a preset time difference of the power spectra as a polishing feature quantity by using the analysis data provided by the analysis performed by the analyzer. The end point calculator determines a polishing end point of the object based on the change in the feature quantity.

Disclosed is a concrete floor trowel machine of multiple blades with added floor polishing jacket or attachment. It saves expense and time associated with the use of a separate trowel and a polisher in consecutive order, often a day apart. Furthermore, disclosed is a blade replacement polisher disk with metallic hook-and-loop attached steel wool polisher puck, which is the loop component of that means of attachment. Means of slurry feed and suction removal to said puck is also disclosed, whereas said puck may rotate free or by planetary. Said pucks may be attached to blades. Safety cage and slurry splash cover supplement the machine. Removable caster legs are added to ease moving the off-use machine. Disclosed as well are robotic polisher-grinder modules in tandem or in train with changeable trowel-polisher modular inserts with electrical motors and power cable and water hose reels to be serviced from a distance, remotely controlled.

An apparatus for dressing a grinding wheel mounted thereon by creating structures on the surface of a, in particular cylindrical, grinding surface of the grinding wheel The apparatus includes a dressing tool holder arranged for accommodating a dressing tool in a dressing position, a controllable actuator for adjusting the position of the tool holder within the apparatus in at least one direction, a grinding wheel support for rotatably supporting a grinding wheel to be dressed The apparatus further includes a mechanism for monitoring an individual structure, created by the dressing tool on the surface of the grinding wheel, and a mechanism for monitoring a circumferential position and/or the rotary speed of the grinding wheel, and a mechanism for controlling the actuator, adapted to control the actuator as a function of the monitored structure and the monitored circumferential position and/or rotary speed.

A wire saw abnormality diagnosis device and a wire saw abnormality diagnosis method are provided. The abnormality diagnosis device includes: a diagnosis mode executer that executes a first diagnosis mode, a second diagnosis mode, and a third diagnosis mode before the cutting; a data group acquirer that acquires a first data group, a second data group, and a third data group for pluralities of data items indicating operating states of the wire saw; a deviation information calculator that calculates deviation information relating to deviations derived by comparing a first reference data group, a second reference data group, and a third reference data group with the first data group, the second data group, and the third data group for the pluralities of data items; and a determiner that determines presence or absence of an abnormality in the wire saw based on the calculated deviation information.

Device for controlling the sharpening state of a blade (2) having a cutting edge (20) delimited by two sides (21, 22) converging towards a plane (X) that contains the cutting edge itself. The device comprises two control surfaces each of which is in contact with a corresponding side (21, 22) of the cutting edge (20) and is connected with a transducer (R4), which produces an electrical displacement signal (S4) proportional to a displacement of the control surface with respect to said plane (X). Furthermore, the device comprises a processing unit (E) that receives said displacement signals (S4) and compares them, emitting an error signal if the comparison produces a value that exceeds a predetermined limit. The control surfaces are the surfaces that delimit an external groove (40) of a roller (4) that is free to translate along an axis (A4) perpendicular to said plane (X) and spaced from the blade (2) by an amount such that said cutting edge (20) passes in said groove (40).

Device for controlling the sharpening state of a blade (2) having a cutting edge (20) delimited by two sides (21, 22) converging towards a plane (X) that contains the cutting edge itself. The device comprises two control surfaces each of which is in contact with a corresponding side (21, 22) of said cutting edge (20) and is connected with at least one transducer (R1, R2, R4), which produces an electrical displacement signal (S1, S2; S4) proportional to a displacement of the control surface with respect to said plane (X). Furthermore, the device comprises a processing unit (E) that receives said displacement signals (S1, S2, S4) and compares them, emitting an error signal if the comparison produces a value that exceeds a predetermined limit. The processing unit is connected to means (101, 102) for supporting and moving sharpening means (100).

To accurately detect a polishing end point even if a change in a polishing frictional force is small. A polishing apparatus includes a polishing table for holding a polishing pad, a holder for holding a polishing target object such that the polishing target object faces the polishing pad, and an end point detector that detects, based on a signal indicating a state of polishing of the polishing target object by the polishing pad, a polishing end point indicating an end of the polishing. The end point detector is configured to remove noise of the signal, exponentiate the signal subjected to the noise removal with an exponent greater than 1, and detect the polishing end point based on the exponentiated signal.