A wafer processing method of the present invention includes mounting a wafer part on a chuck table, loading a ring cover unit on the chuck table to restrain the wafer part to the chuck table, spraying, by a spray suction arm module, a processing solution onto the wafer part and suctioning, by the spray suction arm module, foreign materials from the processing solution, unloading the ring cover unit from the chuck table, and spraying, by a spray arm module, a cleaning solution onto the wafer part to clean the wafer part.

A substrate rotating apparatus may include a spin chuck supporting a substrate and a stage rotating the spin chuck about an axis parallel to a first direction. The spin chuck may include a first magnetic element and a substrate supporting member thereon. The stage may include a stage housing, a rotating part rotating about the axis, an inner control unit controlling rotation of the rotating part, a power supplying part supplying a power to the rotating part, and a wireless communication part receiving a control signal from an outside and transmitting the control signal to the inner control unit. The rotating part may include a second magnetic element spaced apart from the first magnetic element and a rotation driver rotating the second magnetic element. The rotating part, the inner control unit, the power supplying part, and the wireless communication part may be placed in the stage housing.

Systems and techniques for determining and correcting inter-wafer misalignments in a stack of wafers transported by a wafer handling robot. An enhanced automatic wafer centering system is provided that may be used to determine a smallest circle associated with the stack of wafers, which may then be used to determine whether or not the stack of wafer meets various process requirements and/or if a centering correction can be made to better align the wafers with a receiving station coordinate frame.

A mounting table is provided. The mounting table includes an electrostatic chuck configured to mount thereon a target object and attract and hold the target object using an electrostatic force, and a gas supply line configured to supply a gas to a gap between the target object mounted on the electrostatic chuck and the electrostatic chuck via the electrostatic chuck. The mounting table further includes at least one irradiation unit configured to irradiate light having a predetermined wavelength to the gas flowing through the gas supply line or to the gas supplied to the gap between the target object and the electrostatic chuck to ionize the gas.

A film forming apparatus includes a film formation chamber capable of accommodating a substrate; a gas supplier including nozzles provided in an upper portion of the film formation chamber to supply a process gas onto a film formation face of the substrate, and a cooling part suppressing a temperature increase of the process gas; a heater heating the substrate to 1500° C. or higher; and a plate opposed to a bottom face of the gas supplier, where first opening parts of the nozzles are formed, in the film formation chamber, and arranged away from the bottom face, in which the plate includes a plurality of second opening parts having a smaller diameter than the first opening parts, and arranged substantially uniformly in a plane of the plate, and a partition protruded on an opposed face to the gas supplier and separating the plane of the plate into regions.

A substrate processing chamber includes a housing providing a process space; a spin apparatus provided in the housing; and a fluid spraying nozzle configured to spray fluid into the process space, wherein the spin apparatus includes: a spin chuck configured to support a substrate; a rotation driving part configured to rotate the spin chuck; and a weight sensor configured to measure a weight of the substrate supported on the spin chuck.

Embodiments of wet clean chambers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a wet clean chamber includes: a deck plate; a substrate support that is rotatable and configured to support a substrate; a rotor disposed about and configured to rotate with the substrate support, wherein the rotor includes an upper fluid collection region disposed radially outward of the substrate support in position to collect fluid leaving the substrate support during processing, and wherein the upper fluid collection region includes a plurality of drain openings along a radially outward perimeter of a bottom of the upper fluid collection region; a stationary housing surrounding the rotor and having a lower fluid collection region disposed beneath the drain openings of the rotor; and one or more fluid delivery arms coupled to the deck plate and configured to deliver fluid to the substrate.

Susceptor assemblies comprising a susceptor base and a plurality of pie-shaped skins thereon are described. A pie anchor can be positioned in the center of the susceptor base to hold the pie-shaped skins in place during processing.

Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include a chuck body defining a substrate support surface. The substrate support surface may define a plurality of protrusions that extend upward from the substrate support surface. The substrate support surface may define an annular groove and/or ridge. A subset of the plurality of protrusions may be disposed within the annular groove and/or ridge. The substrate support assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the chuck body.

Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a transfer region housing defining a transfer region fluidly coupled with a plurality of processing regions. A sidewall of the transfer region housing may define a sealable access for providing and receiving substrates. The systems may include a transfer apparatus having a central hub including a shaft extending at a distal end through the transfer region housing into the transfer region. The transfer apparatus may include a lateral translation apparatus coupled with an exterior surface of the transfer region housing, and configured to provide at least one direction of lateral movement of the shaft. The systems may also include an end effector coupled with the shaft within the transfer region. The end effector may include a plurality of arms having a number of arms equal to a number of substrate supports of the plurality of substrate supports in the transfer region.