A polishing apparatus includes a chuck table configured to hold the workpiece, a polishing unit including a rotatable polishing pad configured to polish the workpiece held by the chuck table, a moving mechanism configured to move a holding unit to a loading and unloading region for loading and unloading the workpiece onto and from the chuck table and a polishing region for polishing the workpiece by the polishing unit, a raising and lowering mechanism configured to bring the polishing pad into contact with the workpiece held by the chuck table or separate the polishing pad from the workpiece by raising or lowering the polishing unit, and a shaping unit configured to shape the polishing pad. The shaping unit comes into contact with a polishing surface of the polishing pad, and shapes the polishing surface into a desired shape.

Carriers suitable for receiving one or more semiconductor wafers for the machining thereof in lapping, grinding or polishing machines, comprise a core of a first material which has a high stiffness, the core being completely or partly coated with a second material, and also at least one cutout for receiving a semiconductor wafer, wherein the second material is a thermoset polyurethane elastomer having a Shore A hardness of 20-90. The carriers are preferably coated with the second material after chemical surface activation and application of adhesion promoter, and may be used for simultaneous double-side material-removing machining of a plurality of semiconductor wafers.

Carriers suitable for receiving one or more semiconductor wafers for the machining thereof in lapping, grinding or polishing machines, comprise a core of a first material which has a high stiffness, the core being completely or partly coated with a second material, and also at least one cutout for receiving a semiconductor wafer, wherein the second material is a thermoset polyurethane elastomer having a Shore A hardness of 20-90. The carriers are preferably coated with the second material after chemical surface activation and application of adhesion promoter, and may be used for simultaneous double-side material-removing machining of a plurality of semiconductor wafers.

A machine tool includes a first support disk and a first working disk. The first working disk defines a clamping surface and is fastened to the first support disk. A counter bearing element is positioned relative to the first working disk such that a working gap is formed between the first working disk and the counter bearing element and is dimensioned to accept a flat workpiece. A first clamping arrangement clamps the clamping surface of the first working disk to the first support disk such that the clamping surface faces away from the working gap. At least one decoupling element is positioned to at least one decoupling element configured to reduce friction between the first support disk and the first working disk.

A machine tool includes a first support disk and a first working disk. The first working disk defines a clamping surface and is fastened to the first support disk. A counter bearing element is positioned relative to the first working disk such that a working gap is formed between the first working disk and the counter bearing element and is dimensioned to accept a flat workpiece. A first clamping arrangement clamps the clamping surface of the first working disk to the first support disk such that the clamping surface faces away from the working gap. At least one decoupling element is positioned to at least one decoupling element configured to reduce friction between the first support disk and the first working disk.

A carrier has a plate-shaped carrier body that has an inner hole and is made of a first material, and an insertion member that is shaped such that the insertion member fits between the substrate and an inner circumference of the inner hole, that has a substrate holding hole, and that is made of a second material that is different from the first material. The insertion member has a region that bulges toward the carrier main body side, and when a radius of an inscribed circle inscribed to an inner circumference of the substrate holding hole of the insertion member is R, the center of gravity of the insertion member is located 0.1R or more away from the center of an inner circumferential shape of the substrate holding hole of the insertion member.

A carrier has a plate-shaped carrier body that has an inner hole and is made of a first material, and an insertion member that is shaped such that the insertion member fits between the substrate and an inner circumference of the inner hole, that has a substrate holding hole, and that is made of a second material that is different from the first material. The insertion member has a region that bulges toward the carrier main body side, and when a radius of an inscribed circle inscribed to an inner circumference of the substrate holding hole of the insertion member is R, the center of gravity of the insertion member is located 0.1R or more away from the center of an inner circumferential shape of the substrate holding hole of the insertion member.

In a double-side polishing apparatus includes at least one work thickness measuring instrument in real time during double-side polishing of the work; an inner circumferential surface defined by the through hole in said one of the upper plate and the lower plate is provided with a metal cylindrical member; and either of: a lower window provided in a lower part of the cylindrical member provided in the upper plate and an upper window provided in an upper part of the cylindrical member provided to cover the upper side of the through hole provided in the upper plate, or an upper window provided in an upper part of the cylindrical member provided in the lower plate and a lower window provided to cover the lower side of the through hole provided in the lower plate.

In a double-side polishing apparatus includes at least one work thickness measuring instrument in real time during double-side polishing of the work; an inner circumferential surface defined by the through hole in said one of the upper plate and the lower plate is provided with a metal cylindrical member; and either of: a lower window provided in a lower part of the cylindrical member provided in the upper plate and an upper window provided in an upper part of the cylindrical member provided to cover the upper side of the through hole provided in the upper plate, or an upper window provided in an upper part of the cylindrical member provided in the lower plate and a lower window provided to cover the lower side of the through hole provided in the lower plate.

A carrier for use in a polishing machine and a method for using the carrier during the polishing of glass substrate disks intended for use in the hard disk media of a hard disk drive. Grooves are provided in top and bottom surfaces of the carrier to, e.g., increase the flow of polishing slurry between the carrier and a pair of upper and lower polishing pads of the polishing machine during a polishing operation. Opposing grooves within the top and bottom surfaces of the carrier may be staggered or offset relative to one another. Slurry passage holes may be provided in the carrier that intersect with the grooves to allow for the passage of slurry into the grooves during polishing. Method and apparatus examples are described.