An apparatus for polishing a wafer is provided. The apparatus includes a wafer carrier assembly including a head body and a retainer arrangement. The retainer arrangement includes a first retainer segment coupled to an underside of the head body and adjacent an outer sidewall of the wafer carrier and a second retainer segment, separate from the first retainer segment, coupled to the underside of the head body and adjacent the outer sidewall of the wafer carrier. Undersides of the first retainer segment and the second retainer segment are below an underside of the wafer carrier.

An apparatus for polishing a wafer is provided. The apparatus includes a wafer carrier assembly including a head body and a retainer arrangement. The retainer arrangement includes a first retainer segment coupled to an underside of the head body and adjacent an outer sidewall of the wafer carrier and a second retainer segment, separate from the first retainer segment, coupled to the underside of the head body and adjacent the outer sidewall of the wafer carrier. Undersides of the first retainer segment and the second retainer segment are below an underside of the wafer carrier.

This invention relates to a polishing pad and a method for manufacturing the same. The polishing pad may include a top pad layer and a window block. The top pad layer may include a groove pattern formed on an upper surface of the top pad layer. A first hole may be formed through the top pad layer. The window block may be inserted into the first hole. The top pad layer and the window block may have a structure coincided with following Formula 1.

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}1.1\le \frac{\mathrm{Gap}+{\mathrm{Thk}}_{\mathrm{RTPC}}}{{\mathrm{Thk}}_{\mathrm{grv}}}\le 3.& \mathrm{Formula}1\end{array}$

In Formula 1, the gap may indicate a height difference between an upper surface of the top pad layer and an upper surface of the window block, the Thk.sub.RTPC may indicate a thickness of the window block, and the Thk.sub.grv may indicate a depth of the groove pattern.

One object is to provide a polishing machine and a polishing method capable of improving a processing accuracy on the surface of an object. A method of polishing an object is provided. Such a method comprises: a first step of polishing an object by moving the object and a first polishing pad having a smaller dimension than that of the object relative to each other while the first polishing pad is made to contact the object, a second step of polishing the object, after the first step of polishing, by moving the object and a second polishing pad having a larger dimension than that of the object relative to each other while the second polishing pad is made to contact the object, and a step of detecting the state of the surface of the object before the first step of polishing.

One object is to provide a polishing machine and a polishing method capable of improving a processing accuracy on the surface of an object. A method of polishing an object is provided. Such a method comprises: a first step of polishing an object by moving the object and a first polishing pad having a smaller dimension than that of the object relative to each other while the first polishing pad is made to contact the object, a second step of polishing the object, after the first step of polishing, by moving the object and a second polishing pad having a larger dimension than that of the object relative to each other while the second polishing pad is made to contact the object, and a step of detecting the state of the surface of the object before the first step of polishing.

A wafer polishing head is provided. The wafer polishing head includes a carrier head, a plurality of piezoelectric actuators disposed on the carrier head, and a membrane disposed over the plurality of piezoelectric actuators. The plurality of piezoelectric actuators is configured to provide mechanical forces on the membrane and generate an electrical charge when receiving counterforces of the mechanical forces through the membrane. A wafer polishing system and a method for polishing a substrate using the same are also provided.

A wafer polishing head is provided. The wafer polishing head includes a carrier head, a plurality of piezoelectric actuators disposed on the carrier head, and a membrane disposed over the plurality of piezoelectric actuators. The plurality of piezoelectric actuators is configured to provide mechanical forces on the membrane and generate an electrical charge when receiving counterforces of the mechanical forces through the membrane. A wafer polishing system and a method for polishing a substrate using the same are also provided.

A polishing article has a polishing surface and an aperture, the aperture including a first section and a second section. The polishing article includes a projection extending inwardly into the aperture. The polishing article includes a lower portion on a side of the first surface farther from the polishing surface. A window has a first portion positioned in the first section of the aperture and a second portion extending into the second section of the aperture. The window has a second surface substantially parallel to the polishing surface. A first adhesive adheres the first surface of the projection to the second surface of the window to secure the window to the projection and a second adhesive of different material composition than the first adhesive. The second adhesive is positioned laterally between the second portion of the window and the lower portion of the polishing article.

A polishing article has a polishing surface and an aperture, the aperture including a first section and a second section. The polishing article includes a projection extending inwardly into the aperture. The polishing article includes a lower portion on a side of the first surface farther from the polishing surface. A window has a first portion positioned in the first section of the aperture and a second portion extending into the second section of the aperture. The window has a second surface substantially parallel to the polishing surface. A first adhesive adheres the first surface of the projection to the second surface of the window to secure the window to the projection and a second adhesive of different material composition than the first adhesive. The second adhesive is positioned laterally between the second portion of the window and the lower portion of the polishing article.

A polishing apparatus includes a polishing unit that rotatably supports a polishing pad for polishing a wafer held on a holding surface of a chuck table and that has a spindle formed with a through-hole extending from one end of the spindle to the other end of the spindle in an axis of the spindle. A thickness measuring unit is disposed at one end of the through-hole of the spindle that measures a thickness of the wafer. A controller obtains information regarding the thickness of the wafer measured by the thickness measuring unit at a position defined by a variation in a distance between a rotational center of the rotating wafer fed by a parallel feeding mechanism, a center of the other end of the through-hole facing the wafer, and a rotational angle of the chuck table, and forms mapping data regarding the thickness of the wafer.