A substrate polishing apparatus includes a top ring for pressing a substrate against a polishing pad to perform substrate polishing; a spectrum generating unit that directs light onto a surface of the substrate of interest for polishing, receives reflected light, and calculates a reflectivity spectrum corresponding to the wavelength of the reflected light; and a storage that stores a plurality of thickness estimating algorithms for estimating the thickness of the polished surface in accordance with the reflectivity spectrum. A plurality of thickness estimating algorithms is selected among the thickness estimating algorithms stored in the storage, and a switching condition is set. The thickness of the polished surface is estimated by using the set thickness estimating algorithms, and if the switching condition is satisfied, the thickness estimating algorithm to be applied is switched.

A method of grinding a pair of matching rolls in which the position of a grinding wheel relative to the rolls is computer controlled, and the surface profile of a roll is continuously measured and input to the computer comprising modifying the desired profile of the second roll of the matched pair adjusted by the residual shape error profile of the first roll to establish a uniform gap between the pair of rolls; and grinding the second roll to bring the profile of the second roll within acceptable tolerance based on the modified desirable profile.

A method of controlling processing of a substrate includes generating, based on a signal from an in-situ monitoring system, first and second sequences of characterizing values indicative of a physical property of a reference zone and a control zone, respectively, on a substrate. A reference zone rate and a control zone rate are determined from the first and sequence of characterizing values, respectively. An error value is determined by comparing characterizing values for the reference zone and control zone. An output parameter value for the control zone us generated based on at least the error value and a dynamic nominal control zone value using a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm, and the dynamic nominal control zone value is generated in a second control loop based on at least the reference zone rate and the control zone rate. The control zone of the substrate is processed according to the output parameter value.

A method of controlling processing of a substrate includes generating, based on a signal from an in-situ monitoring system, first and second sequences of characterizing values indicative of a physical property of a reference zone and a control zone, respectively, on a substrate. A reference zone rate and a control zone rate are determined from the first and sequence of characterizing values, respectively. An error value is determined by comparing characterizing values for the reference zone and control zone. An output parameter value for the control zone us generated based on at least the error value and a dynamic nominal control zone value using a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm, and the dynamic nominal control zone value is generated in a second control loop based on at least the reference zone rate and the control zone rate. The control zone of the substrate is processed according to the output parameter value.

Provided is a method of chamfer machining a silicon wafer which makes it possible to increase the number of machining operations that can be performed using a chamfering wheel used for helical chamfer machining in the case of obtaining a small finished wafer taper angle. The method in which helical chamfer machining is performed so that the finished wafer taper angle of an edge portion in the one silicon wafer is within an allowable angle range of a target wafer taper angle .sub.0 includes a first truing step; a first chamfer machining step; a step of determining a groove bottom diameter .sub.A of the fine grinding grindstone portion; a second truing step using a second truer taper angle .sub.2; and a second chamfer machining step. The second truer taper angle .sub.2 is made larger than the first truer taper angle .sub.1.

Provided is a method of chamfer machining a silicon wafer which makes it possible to increase the number of machining operations that can be performed using a chamfering wheel used for helical chamfer machining in the case of obtaining a small finished wafer taper angle. The method in which helical chamfer machining is performed so that the finished wafer taper angle of an edge portion in the one silicon wafer is within an allowable angle range of a target wafer taper angle .sub.0 includes a first truing step; a first chamfer machining step; a step of determining a groove bottom diameter .sub.A of the fine grinding grindstone portion; a second truing step using a second truer taper angle .sub.2; and a second chamfer machining step. The second truer taper angle .sub.2 is made larger than the first truer taper angle .sub.1.

A substrate processing method includes measuring a first thickness distribution of a first substrate in a first one of multiple combined substrates before being subjected to a finishing grinding; measuring a second thickness distribution of the first substrate in a second one of the multiple combined substrates before being subjected to the finishing grinding; deciding a relative inclination between a substrate holder configured to hold the second one of the multiple combined substrates and a grinder configured to perform the finishing grinding on the corresponding combined substrate, based on first difference data between the first thickness distribution and the second thickness distribution; and performing finishing grinding on the first substrate in the second one of the multiple combined substrates while holding the second one of the multiple combined substrates at the inclination which is decided.

A substrate processing method includes measuring a first thickness distribution of a first substrate in a first one of multiple combined substrates before being subjected to a finishing grinding; measuring a second thickness distribution of the first substrate in a second one of the multiple combined substrates before being subjected to the finishing grinding; deciding a relative inclination between a substrate holder configured to hold the second one of the multiple combined substrates and a grinder configured to perform the finishing grinding on the corresponding combined substrate, based on first difference data between the first thickness distribution and the second thickness distribution; and performing finishing grinding on the first substrate in the second one of the multiple combined substrates while holding the second one of the multiple combined substrates at the inclination which is decided.

The present invention relates to a substrate polishing method of polishing a substrate, such as a wafer, by pressing a polishing tape against the substrate. The substrate polishing method includes: storing an actual polishing condition for a substrate that has been polished in the past and an actual amount of use of a polishing tape under the actual polishing condition in a database (21a), with the actual polishing condition and the actual amount of use associated with each other, searching the database (21a) for an actual polishing condition that matches a preset polishing condition for a polishing-target substrate before polishing of the polishing-target substrate, determining a predicted amount of use of the polishing tape necessary for polishing the polishing-target substrate which is an actual amount of use of the polishing tape associated with the actual polishing condition that matches the preset polishing condition; comparing a remaining amount of the polishing tape to be used for polishing of the polishing-target substrate with the determined predicted amount of use; and when the remaining amount of the polishing tape is equal to or larger than the predicted amount of use, polishing the polishing-target substrate by a polishing module (4A, 4B).

The present invention relates to a substrate polishing method of polishing a substrate, such as a wafer, by pressing a polishing tape against the substrate. The substrate polishing method includes: storing an actual polishing condition for a substrate that has been polished in the past and an actual amount of use of a polishing tape under the actual polishing condition in a database (21a), with the actual polishing condition and the actual amount of use associated with each other, searching the database (21a) for an actual polishing condition that matches a preset polishing condition for a polishing-target substrate before polishing of the polishing-target substrate, determining a predicted amount of use of the polishing tape necessary for polishing the polishing-target substrate which is an actual amount of use of the polishing tape associated with the actual polishing condition that matches the preset polishing condition; comparing a remaining amount of the polishing tape to be used for polishing of the polishing-target substrate with the determined predicted amount of use; and when the remaining amount of the polishing tape is equal to or larger than the predicted amount of use, polishing the polishing-target substrate by a polishing module (4A, 4B).