A surface processing method for a SiC substrate includes the following processes or steps: anodizing a workpiece surface of the SiC substrate by passing a current having a current density of 15 mA/cm.sup.2 or more through the SiC substrate as an anode in the presence of an electrolyte; disposing a grinding wheel layer of a surface processing pad to the workpiece surface and selectively removing, with the grinding wheel layer, an oxide formed on the workpiece surface through anodization; and performing, simultaneously or sequentially, the anodization of the workpiece surface and the selective removal of the oxide formed on the workpiece surface with the grinding wheel layer.

Disclosed are substrate polishing apparatuses, substrate polishing systems, and/or substrate polishing methods. The substrate polishing apparatus may include an electric field applying module, and a platen that rotates a polishing pad. The electric field applying module may include an inner electrode having a circular shape when viewed in plan. The platen may be on the inner electrode. A central axis of the inner electrode may be spaced apart from a central axis of the platen. The inner electrode may include a first electrode and a second electrode that may surround the first electrode and may have an annular shape.

A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus, includes: a platen having a polishing pad attached to an upper surface thereof, and rotatably installed in one direction by a driving means, a slurry supply unit supplying a slurry including an abrasive and an additive having a zeta potential of a first polarity to the polishing pad, an electrode disposed below the polishing pad, a power supply unit applying a voltage including a DC pulse of a second polarity, opposite to the first polarity, to the electrode, and a polishing head installed on the polishing pad, and rotating a semiconductor substrate in contact with the polishing pad.

A polishing apparatus 100 includes a first electric motor 14 that rotationally drives a polishing table 12, and a second electric motor 22 that rotationally drives a top ring 20 that holds a semiconductor wafer 18. The polishing apparatus 100 includes: a current detection portion 24; an accumulation portion 110 that accumulates, for a prescribed interval, current values of three phases that are detected by the current detection portion 24; a difference portion 112 that determines a difference between a detected current value in an interval that is different to the prescribed interval and the accumulated current value; and an endpoint detection portion 29 that detects a polishing endpoint that indicates the end of polishing of the surface of the semiconductor wafer 18, based on a change in the difference that the difference portion 112 outputs.

An observation and photography apparatus that has a polishing mechanism attached thereto. The polishing mechanism is provided with a turntable with a perpendicular rotation shaft, a polishing cloth for polishing the surface of a sample attached to the bottom surface of the turntable, and a polishing-fluid spraying nozzle disposed below the polishing cloth for spraying polishing fluid containing polishing material upward to we the polishing cloth.

An end point detection method is provided for detecting an end point based on a drive current supplied to a drive unit that rotates and drives one of a polishing table and a holding unit. The end point detection method includes: a step (S102) of determining whether a polishing condition of a polishing process to be executed coincides with a preset specific polishing condition; a step (S103) of adjusting a current control parameter in a drive control unit that controls the drive current, the current control parameter related to a change in the drive current with respect to a change in a driving load of the drive unit, if it is determined that the polishing condition coincides with the specific polishing condition; and a step (S105) of detecting the drive current supplied to the drive unit based on the adjusted current control parameter.

A polishing station for polishing a substrate using a polishing slurry is disclosed. The polishing station includes a substrate carrier having a substrate-receiving surface and a rotatable platen having a polishing pad disposed on a platen surface, where the polishing pad has a polishing surface facing the substrate-receiving surface. The polishing station includes an electromagnetic assembly disposed over the platen surface. The electromagnetic assembly includes an array of electromagnetic devices that are each operable to generate a magnetic field that is configured to pass through the polishing surface. The magnetic fields generated by the array of electromagnetic devices are oriented and configured to induce an electromagnetic force on a plurality of charged particles disposed in a polishing slurry disposed on the polishing surface. The applied magnetic field is configured to induce movement of the plurality of charged particles in a direction parallel or orthogonal to the polishing surface.

A method for electropolishing a manufactured metallic article, the method comprising: contacting the metallic article with an electropolishing electrolyte; and electropolishing the metallic article in the electropolishing electrolyte through the application of an applied current regime comprising: at least one electropolishing regime, each electropolishing regime comprising a current density of at least 2 A/cm.sup.2 and a voltage comprising a shaped waveform having a frequency from 2 Hz to 300 kHz, a minimum voltage of at least 0 V and a maximum voltage of between 0.5 to 500 V.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a solid oxide and a device therefor, capable of manufacturing a solid oxide used as an optical material without introducing damaged layers caused by machining, which does not use any polishing agent or abrasive grains including rare earth elements, or does not use any solution, such as hydrogen fluoride, for which handling is difficult and which imposes a heavy environmental burden. In the presence of water 1, a solid oxide in which one or more kinds of elements are bonded through oxygen is used as an object to be manufactured; a catalyst substance, which cuts a backbond between an oxygen element and another element, forming the solid oxide, by dissociation of a water molecule, and adsorbs it, and helps production of a decomposition product by hydrolysis, is used as a machining reference surface (3); the object (5) to be manufactured and the machining reference surface are disposed so that they are brought into contact with each other or they are brought very close to each other in the presence of water; a potential of the machining reference surface is adjusted to a range where neither H.sub.2 nor O.sub.2 is produced; and the object to be manufactured is moved relative to the machining reference surface thereby to remove a decomposition product from the surface of the object to be manufactured.

A polishing station for polishing a substrate using a polishing slurry is disclosed. The polishing station includes a substrate carrier having a substrate-receiving surface and a rotatable platen having a polishing pad disposed on a platen surface, where the polishing pad has a polishing surface facing the substrate-receiving surface. The polishing station includes an electromagnetic assembly disposed over the platen surface. The electromagnetic assembly includes an array of electromagnetic devices that are each operable to generate a magnetic field that is configured to pass through the polishing surface. The magnetic fields generated by the array of electromagnetic devices are oriented and configured to induce an electromagnetic force on a plurality of charged particles disposed in a polishing slurry disposed on the polishing surface. The applied magnetic field is configured to induce movement of the plurality of charged particles in a direction parallel or orthogonal to the polishing surface.