A method for processing a bonded wafer includes forming a plurality of modified layers in a form of rings through positioning focal points of laser beams with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to a first wafer inside the first wafer, from which a chamfered part and a notch are to be removed, from a back surface of the first wafer and executing irradiation, holding a second wafer side on a chuck table, and grinding the back surface of the first wafer to thin the first wafer. In forming the modified layer, the focal points of the laser beams are set in such a manner as to gradually get closer to a joining layer from an inner side toward an outer side of the first wafer in a radial direction to thereby form the modified layers as to widen toward the lower side.

A wafer processing method is disclosed. A second wafer is bonded to a first wafer. The rear surface of the second wafer is subjected to a first grinding process, thereby thinning the second wafer to a first thickness. A sacrificial layer is formed on the rear surface of the second wafer. A one-step wafer edge trimming process is then performed to remove an outer edge region of the sacrificial layer and the second wafer in one-step cut using a blade. The sacrificial layer is removed from the rear surface of the second wafer.

A method of processing a bonded wafer formed by bonding a first wafer and a second wafer to each other via a bonding layer includes a coordinate generating step of generating coordinates of an undersurface position of the first wafer, the undersurface position being to be irradiated with laser beams, such that an end position of a crack extending from modified layers formed within the first wafer is located at an outer circumference of the bonding layer, and a modified layer forming step of forming a plurality of modified layers in a ring shape by irradiating the coordinates generated in the coordinate generating step with the laser beams of a wavelength transmissible through the first wafer.

A processing method of a bonded wafer includes forming a plurality of modified layers in a form of rings through positioning focal points of laser beams with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to a first wafer inside the first wafer, from which a chamfered part is to be removed, from a back surface of the first wafer and executing irradiation, holding a second wafer side on a chuck table, and grinding the back surface of the first wafer to thin the first wafer. In the forming the modified layers, the focal points of the laser beams are set in such a manner as to gradually get closer to a joining layer in a direction from an inner side of the first wafer toward an outer side thereof, so that the plurality of ring-shaped modified layers are formed in a form of descending stairs.

A bonding apparatus includes: a first holder configured to hold a first substrate; a second holder disposed to face the first holder and configured to hold a second substrate to be bonded to the first substrate; an imaging unit including a first portion including a first objective lens that captures an image of a first mark formed on the first substrate held by the first holder, and a second portion including a second objective lens that captures an image of a second mark formed on the second substrate held by the second holder; and a mover configured to relatively move the imaging unit, first holder, and second holder in a region between the first holder and the second holder. In the imaging unit, an optical axis of the first objective lens and an optical axis of the second objective lens are not on a same straight line.

The present description concerns a method of manufacturing a first wafer, intended to be assembled to a second wafer by molecular bonding, including the successive steps of: forming a stack of layers at the surface of a substrate; and successive chemical etchings of the edges of said layers from the layer of the stack most distant from the substrate, across a smaller and smaller width.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a semiconductor layer, the semiconductor layer including a two-dimensional semiconductor material, forming a sacrificial layer on the semiconductor layer, forming a metal contact layer on the sacrificial layer, and removing the sacrificial layer. After the sacrificial layer is removed, the semiconductor layer and the metal contact layer are bonded to each other through a van der Waals bond.

Provided is a substrate processing method, the method including: a substrate polishing operation of polishing a substrate; after the polishing operation, a treatment solution supplying operation of supplying a treatment solution containing a polymer and a volatile solvent onto the rotating substrate; after the treatment solution supplying operation, a liquid film forming operation of volatilizing the volatile solvent in the treatment solution to form a liquid film; and after the liquid film forming operation, an edge removing operation of removing the liquid film formed on an edge portion of the substrate and the edge portion of the substrate.

A method of processing a wafer includes forming a bonded wafer assembly by bonding one of opposite surfaces of a first wafer to a second wafer, the first wafer having a device region and an outer circumferential excessive region, applying a laser beam to the first wafer while positioning a focused spot of the laser beam radially inwardly from the outer circumferential edge of the first wafer, on an inclined plane that is progressively closer to the one of the opposite surfaces of the first wafer toward the outer circumferential edge, thereby forming a separation layer shaped as a side surface of a truncated cone, grinding the first wafer from the other one of the opposite surfaces thereof to thin down the first wafer to a predetermined thickness, and detecting whether or not the outer circumferential excessive region has been removed from the first wafer.