A grinding apparatus includes a table that holds a workpiece, and a grinding unit including a grinding wheel mounted to a spindle. The grinding wheel has a grindstone formed by binding abrasive grains with a bonding agent. In addition, the grinding apparatus further includes: a supply unit that supplies grinding water to at least the grindstone when grinding the workpiece; and a light applying unit that is disposed adjacent to the table and that applies light to a grinding surface of the grindstone grinding the workpiece held by the table. The light applying unit includes a light emission section that emits light, and a diffusion preventive wall that surrounds the light emission section and prevents diffusion of the light.

A processing apparatus includes a first distinguishing display unit which, when a mechanism making a holding force or a processing force act on a workpiece causes an error, displays a workpiece illustration representing the workpiece to which the error is caused and on which the holding force or the processing force acts distinguishably from another workpiece illustration. The workpiece on which the holding force or the processing force of the mechanism causing the error acts can be thereby identified easily.

To specify a trajectory of an eddy current sensor provided on a polishing table of a substrate polishing apparatus, disclosed is a method of identifying a trajectory of an eddy current sensor as seen from a substrate in a substrate polishing apparatus having a polishing table and a polishing head. The method includes: obtaining a sensor output map as three-dimensional data; polishing the substrate; obtaining a profile of the real-time polishing signal as two-dimensional data; and extracting a trajectory having a profile most similar to the profile of the real-time polishing signal as two-dimensional data from the sensor output map as three-dimensional data and identifying the extracted trajectory as a trajectory of the eddy current sensor as seen from the substrate.

To specify a trajectory of an eddy current sensor provided on a polishing table of a substrate polishing apparatus, disclosed is a method of identifying a trajectory of an eddy current sensor as seen from a substrate in a substrate polishing apparatus having a polishing table and a polishing head. The method includes: obtaining a sensor output map as three-dimensional data; polishing the substrate; obtaining a profile of the real-time polishing signal as two-dimensional data; and extracting a trajectory having a profile most similar to the profile of the real-time polishing signal as two-dimensional data from the sensor output map as three-dimensional data and identifying the extracted trajectory as a trajectory of the eddy current sensor as seen from the substrate.

An apparatus is provided for texturing a work surface comprised of aggregate, that includes: a texturing carriage; a carriage rotation device coupled to the texturing carriage and configured to selectively rotate the texturing carriage; a vertical frame member configured to guide the texturing carriage or the carriage rotation device, or both, in a vertical direction in relation to a surface on which the apparatus rests. Alternately, the apparatus can include: a texturing carriage, the texturing carriage including a texturing head configured to hold one or more texturing pads and a texturing head motor, the texturing head motor configured to move the one or more texturing pads across a work surface, the texturing carriage configured to extend and retract the texturing head towards and away from the work surface.

An apparatus is provided for texturing a work surface comprised of aggregate, that includes: a texturing carriage; a carriage rotation device coupled to the texturing carriage and configured to selectively rotate the texturing carriage; a vertical frame member configured to guide the texturing carriage or the carriage rotation device, or both, in a vertical direction in relation to a surface on which the apparatus rests. Alternately, the apparatus can include: a texturing carriage, the texturing carriage including a texturing head configured to hold one or more texturing pads and a texturing head motor, the texturing head motor configured to move the one or more texturing pads across a work surface, the texturing carriage configured to extend and retract the texturing head towards and away from the work surface.

A method of grinding a workpiece includes a first grinding step of adjusting the relative tilt of a chuck table and a grinding wheel to a first state and bringing grindstones into abrasive contact with the workpiece to grind the workpiece, and a second grinding step of adjusting the relative tilt of the chuck table and the grinding wheel to a second state that is different from the first state and bringing the grindstones into abrasive contact with the workpiece to grind the workpiece. In the second grinding step, the workpiece is ground under a condition for causing the workpiece to have a smaller surface roughness than that in the first grinding step.

During polishing of a substrate a sequence of measured values is received from an in-situ motor torque monitoring system. Positions on the substrate of the region of lower coefficient of friction are calculated for at least two measured values from the sequence of measured values. A first measured value from the sequence of measured values at which the region of different coefficient of friction is at a first position in a first zone on the substrate is compared to a second measured value from the sequence of measured values at which the region of different coefficient of friction is at a second position in a different second zone on the substrate or is not below the substrate. Based on the comparison, which of the first zone or the second zone the overlying layer is clearing first to expose the underlying layer can be determined.

There is provided a grinding method for grinding a substrate with a grinding wheel. A dissimilar material portion made of a material different from a main constituent material of the substrate is embedded in the substrate. The grinding method includes: lowering the grinding wheel toward the substrate rotating while rotating the grinding wheel, and grinding the substrate by the grinding wheel; continuously imaging a processed surface of the substrate by an image sensor during grinding the substrate; analyzing an amount of exposure of the dissimilar material portion based on data of an image captured by the image sensor; and continuously grinding the substrate from a state where the dissimilar material portion begins to be exposed to a stage where the amount of exposure of the dissimilar material portion reaches a predetermined set value, based on the amount of exposure analyzed.

There is provided a grinding method for a workpiece, the method including a first grinding step of grinding the workpiece from a side of a back surface to form, in the workpiece, a disc-shaped first thin portion and an annular first thick portion which surrounds the first thin portion, a second grinding step of grinding the first thin portion from the side of the back surface to form a disc-shaped second thin portion, which is smaller in diameter and thickness than the first thin portion, and an annular second thick portion which surrounds the second thin portion, and a third grinding step of grinding the second thick portion and the second thin portion from the side of the back surface with use of finer grinding stones, thereby forming a disc-shaped third thin portion greater in diameter and smaller in thickness than the second thin portion.