An apparatus and a method which can perform different processes, such as polishing and cleaning, on a surface of a substrate, such as a wafer, with a single processing head, and can process the surface of the substrate efficiently are disclosed. The apparatus includes: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate and rotate the substrate; and a processing head configured to bring scrubbing tapes into contact with a first surface of the substrate to process the first surface. The processing head includes: pressing members arranged to press the scrubbing tapes against the first surface of the substrate; position switching devices configured to be able to switch positions of the pressing members between processing positions and retreat positions; tape feeding reels configured to feed the scrubbing tapes, respectively; and tape take-up reels configured to take up the scrubbing tapes, respectively.

Methods for polishing semiconductor substrates that involve adjusting the finish polishing sequence based on the pad-to-pad variance of the polishing pad are disclosed.

A processing method for a wafer having a chamfered portion on an outer circumference thereof includes a step of irradiating a laser beam of a transmission wavelength to the wafer along an outer circumferential edge of the wafer at a position on an inner side of a predetermined distance from the outer circumferential edge of the wafer to form an annular modified region having a depth from a front face of the wafer to a finish thickness, a step of irradiating a laser beam of a transmission wavelength to the wafer on an outer circumferential portion of the wafer to radially form a plurality of modified regions having the depth from the front face of the wafer to the finish thickness on the outer circumferential portion of the wafer, and a step of grinding a back face of the wafer to thin the wafer to the finish thickness.

Polishing uniformity of a surface to be polished of a substrate is improved by appropriately according with a state of the surface to be polished during polishing. A substrate processing apparatus includes a table 100 for supporting a substrate WF, a pad holder 226 for holding a polishing pad 222 for polishing the substrate WF supported by the table 100, an elevating mechanism for elevating the pad holder 226 with respect to the substrate WF, a swing mechanism for swinging the pad holder 226 in a radial direction of the substrate WF, supporting members 300A and 300B for supporting the polishing pad 222 swung to outside the table 100 by the swing mechanism, and driving mechanisms 310 and 320 for adjusting at least one of a height and a distance to the substrate WF of the supporting member 300 while polishing the substrate WF.

The present invention relates to a chamfered silicon carbide substrate which is essentially monocrystalline, and to a corresponding method of chamfering a silicon carbide substrate. The silicon carbide substrate (100) comprises a main surface (102) and a circumferential end face surface (114) which is essentially perpendicular to the main surface (102), and a chamfered peripheral region (110), wherein a first bevel surface (106) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) includes a first bevel angle (a1) with said main surface (102), and wherein a second bevel surface (108) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) includes a second bevel angle (a2) with said end face surface (114), wherein, in more than 75% of the peripheral region, said first bevel angle (a1) has a value in a range between 20° and 50°, and said second bevel angle (a2) has a value in a range between 45° and 75°.

A method for preparing a SiC ingot includes: disposing a raw material and a SiC seed crystal facing each other in a reactor having an internal space; subliming the raw material by controlling a temperature, a pressure, and an atmosphere of the internal space; growing the SiC ingot on the seed crystal; and collecting the SiC ingot after cooling the reactor. The wafer prepared from the ingot, which is prepared from the method, generates cracks when an impact is applied to a surface of the wafer, the impact is applied by an external impact source having mechanical energy, and a minimum value of the mechanical energy is 0.194 J to 0.475 J per unit area (cm.sup.2).

A polishing device includes a bearing mechanism including a bearing plate configured to carry wafers and drive the wafer to rotate and a first polishing mechanism including at least one group of rotatable first polishing wheels. Each first polishing wheel is formed with a first polishing groove extending along a circumferential direction. Each group includes two first polishing wheels. The two first polishing wheels in each group are arranged symmetrically with respect to the bearing plate and rotation axes of the two first polishing wheels are coplanar with a rotation axis of the bearing plate. The two first polishing wheels in each group are capable of moving close to or away from the wafer, so that an inner sidewall of the first polishing groove is pressed against or moves away from the wafer.

A grinding apparatus according to an embodiment comprises: a table to hold a substrate; a grinding stone driver to be rotatable while holding a grinding stone; and a location adjuster to adjust a relative location between the grinding stone driver and the table. The grinding stone has steps including a first grinding face and a second grinding face, and a first distance between a rotation center of the grinding stone driver and the first grinding face is different from a second distance between the rotation center and the second grinding face. The location adjuster adjusts the relative location from a first state in which the first grinding face is in contact with an end face of the substrate to a second state in which the second grinding face is in contact with the end face.

In a method of manufacturing silicon elements a part having a cross section with four straight sides and four arcuate portions each connecting two of the straight skies with one another and a rotatable abrasive tool which has a circular abrasive working layer composed of abrasive particles are provided, the tool is rotated around a central axis of the part having a cross section with the four straight sides and the four arcuate portions each connecting two of the straight sides with one another, in contact with the four arcuate portions with simultaneous displacement of the tool along an axis of the part to remove outer layers of the outer portions and to finely machine underlying arcuate surfaces of the part, and the part is cut transversely to produce silicone elements.

A method of forming a truer in a truing where a groove of a grinding wheel used for grinding a chamfer portion of a wafer is formed by a truer having a disc-shape, wherein the method comprising: a process A for adjusting a diameter and a rough shape of the truer by a master grinding wheel for forming the truer; and a process B for forming an edge of the truer into a target shape, wherein the process A and the process B are performed by a plurality of master grooves having different shapes from each other, the plurality of master grooves being provided with the master grinding wheel or the process A and the process B are performed by a plurality of portions having different shapes from each other in at least one of the plurality of master grooves provided with the master grinding wheel.