Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.

Fujikoshi Machinery Corp.

Other

Fumihiko Hasegawa

Tatsuo Ohtani

Yasuyoshi Kuroda

Koichiro Ichikawa

Yasuo Inada

Masayuki Yamada

Makoto Kobayashi

Toshihiro Tsuchiya

Fumio Suzuki

Yoshio Nakamura

Hiroshi Kawano

Yasuyoshi Kuroka

Shinji Sato

Hideo Kudo

Hirotoshi Yamagishi

Hiromasa Hashimoto

Isao Uchiyama

Kouji Mizuishi

Makoto Tsukada

Hitoshi Misaka

Tatsuya Yamamoto

Tameyoshi Hirano

A method for chamfer mirror-like polishing a wafer having an orientation flat by rotating the wafer in a state of being pressed by a rotating buffering wheel with a predetermined pressure, is disclosed. Mirror-surface polishing a stable wafer chamfer can be obtained with a relatively simple control system. The invention is predicated in the fact that the wafer rotation speed N,has low inertial mass and low rotation speed so that the wafer rotation speed control can be obtained with high response property and high accuracy compared to pressing pressure control and buffering wheel control, and it features detecting intrinsic peripheral part, corners and orientation flat part of wafer according to a detection signal of detection means for detecting the wafer mirror-like polishing position and controlling the wafer rotation speed N,according to the detected wafer mirror-like polishing position.

Method of and apparatus for mirror-like polishing wafer chamfer with orientation flat

A method and apparatus for polishing chamfers made along the periphery of a semiconductor wafer designed such that when the wafer is once picked up by a rotatory suction cup of a transportation robot arm, the wafer is not released from the suction cup until the entire polishing operation is completed; in an embodiment, a circular turn table having six wafer suction cups is employed which is adapted to turn step-wise, each step consisting of a turn through an angle of 60&deg; to transfer the wafers.

Method and apparatus for wafer chamfer polishing

A method for chamfer mirror-like polishing a wafer having an orientation flat by rotating the wafer in a state of being pressed by a rotating buffering wheel with a predetermined pressure, is disclosed. Mirror-surface polishing a stable wafer chamfer can be obtained with a relatively simple control system. The invention is predicated in the fact that the wafer rotation speed N.sub.s has low inertial mass and low rotation speed so that the wafer rotation speed control can be obtained with high response property and high accuracy compared to pressing pressure control and buffering wheel control, and it features detecting intrinsic peripheral part, corners and orientation flat part of wafer according to a detection signal of detection means for detecting the wafer mirror-like polishing position and controlling the wafer rotation speed N.sub.s according to the detected wafer mirror-like polishing position.

Method of and apparatus for mirror-like polishing wafer chamfer with

A polishing apparatus of a peripheral chamfered portion of a semiconductor wafer is disclosed. The polishing apparatus comprises: a rotary drum around the periphery of which a tape having an abrasive layer thereon is wound; a first motor for rotating the rotary drum; a wafer holding mechanism which comprises a wafer holding member for holding a wafer, a second motor for rotating the wafer holding member, a supporting member for supporting the wafer holding member and the second motor, and a wafer inclining member for changing the tilt angle of the wafer with respect to the rotary drum by reciprocally rotating the supporting member on a first axis which is substantially parallel with the main surface of the wafer; and a moving member for bringing the wafer held on the supporting member into contact with or separating it from the tape wound around the rotary drum.

Apparatus for polishing peripheral portion of wafer

The invention seeks to provide a method of producing slices, such as semiconductor wafers, from a rod-like ingot, which does not require any cutting margin for slicing so that less material is consumed, and also is free from warping or denatured layer of the slices, as well as being free from operating environment deterioration with high quality. A cylindrical ingot is obtained by cutting or grinding the outer periphery of a rod-like ingot, and it is then formed with a plurality of annular grooves at a predetermined pitch in its longitudinal direction to obtain a cylindrical work with annular grooves. The work is then severed in the section defined by the bottom of each annular groove by generating a stress in excess of the rupture strength of the slice in the groove. After the heating of the cylindrical work with annular grooves, the under-process end face of the work is suitably cooled quickly by cooling water jet from a jet nozzle from the outer periphery toward the center of the work.

Method of producing slices

A workpiece holding mechanism is used for holding a wafer. The wafer is sandwiched between a holding plate of the workpiece holding mechanism and a polishing pad attached to a polishing turn table. The workpiece is pressed against the polishing pad with a predetermined pressure so that the bottom surface of the wafer is polished. Water is confined within a fluid confinement space defined between an elastic membrane and the holding plate so as to press the wafer via the elastic membrane. There is provided a volume adjustment screw that can be advanced toward the fluid confinement space and be retracted therefrom. Through adjustment of the screw, the elastic membrane is caused to have a flat surface, so that the elastic member is in close contact with the entire surface of the wafer. A holding membrane made of polyurethane foam is bonded to the surface of the elastic membrane, and a template is bonded to the surface of the holding membrane so as to improve the holding performance. Accordingly, a uniform pressure can be applied onto the wafer during polishing, and the wafer is prevented from shifting from a desired position even when polishing is performed at a high speed.

Workpiece holding mechanism

A wafer processing method which can polish the chamfered portion of a wafer quickly, is disclosed. The processing method comprises the steps of: chamfering a peripheral portion of a wafer obtained by slicing an ingot, by grinding; lapping the wafer; etching the chamfered or lapped wafer; thereafter honing the entirety of the chamfered peripheral portion of the wafer by using a grinding stone while applying a predetermined load to the grinding stone; and thereafter polishing the entirety of the chamfered peripheral portion and the front and rear surfaces of the wafer.

Wafer processing method and equipment therefor

An apparatus for mirror-polishing a thin plate, wherein uniformity of tightness in a stretched condition across an elastic film can be achieved and a polishing pressure distribution on the thin plate is uniformalized, so that constant polishing stock removal is realized and high flatness polishing is made possible. In the apparatus, the thin plate is held on a thin plate support mounted on a rotatable press member and the thin plate is pressed to a polishing means by the press member, and the apparatus has features that a holding surface for the thin plate is formed by a flexible elastic film; the elastic film is fastened to the press member or a part mounted thereto in a condition that the elastic film is sandwiched between a spacer and a holding piece; and a pressure, which presses the thin plate held on the elastic film to the polishing means, is adjusted by applying a back pressure to the thin plate with a fluid feed means, while adjusting tightness of the elastic film by the space.

Apparatus for mirror-polishing thin plate

An apparatus for polishing wafers comprising a turn table with a polishing pad fixedly extended thereon, at least one polishing head positioned above a point on the turn table spaced by a distance from its center, a plate mounted on a lower surface of the at least one polishing head, and a carrier, which is used for retaining the wafers, mounted on the plate in a manner such that the carrier is freely rotatable relative to the plate, wherein a backing pad which is used to press the wafers is fixed on the plate and the wafers are rotated around their respective centers, while being revolved around the center of the plate. According to the apparatus, polished wafers with an excellent flatness are obtained in a reliable manner.

Apparatus for polishing wafers

An apparatus for polishing the notch of a wafer in an effective and efficient way, which comprises: a flexible tape carrying abrasive grains in the working face thereof; an infeed reel for feeding the tape stored thereon: a take-up reel for taking up the tape fed from the infeed reel; a motor for driving to rotate the take-up reel; a means for blowing a fluid to the backside surface to the edge portion of the notch to be in direct contact along the full periphery of the notch; and a means for oscillating the tape sideways.

Apparatus for polishing the notch of a wafer

A method and an apparatus, which enable mirror-polishing a peripheral chamfered portion of a semiconductor wafer effectively, are disclosed. Mirror-polishing a peripheral side surface of the chamfered portion of the wafer, beveled surfaces thereof, and rounded edges formed between the peripheral side surface and each of the beveled surfaces, are individually carried out.

Method for mirror-polishing chamfered portion of wafer and

The invention features flattening a sliced wafer in a thin disc-like form, and chamfered if necessary, through simultaneous double side grinding by passing the wafer through between paired cylindrical grinding rolls supported at both ends in bearings, and subsequently single side polishing or double side polishing the flattened wafer to obtain a polished wafer. A lapping step and an etching step in the related art thus can be dispensed with to curtail the process time. The grinding is done by simultaneous double side grinding, so that it is free from slice mark transfer due to vacuum suction of wafer to hold the wafer, or unlike a wax mounting system it does not involve complicated operation. Furthermore, instead of batch grinding, continuous grinding can be readily made. The process is thus free from working stock removal fluctuations and permits high flatness and stable thickness to be obtained by the grinding.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor wafers and process of and

A method and apparatus for polishing chamfers made along the periphery; of a semiconductor wafer designed such that when the wafer is once picked up by a rotatory suction cup of a transportation robot, arm, the wafer is not released from the suction cup until the entire polishing operation is completed; in an embodiment, a circular turn table having six wafer suction cups is employed which is adapted to turn step-wise, each step consisting of a turn through an angle of 60.degree. to transfer the wafers.

An apparatus for bevelling the edge of a wafer, comprising a framework, a table rotatably mounted to the framework and capable of holding down the wafer, a buff rotatably mounted to the framework opposite the table and having a formed groove for bevelling the wafer edge, an air cylinder assembly mounted to the framework and pressing the buff by different forces on the orientation flat, the circular edge and the round joints of the wafer held down by the table, a sensor sensing the orientation flat, the circular edge and the round joints of the wafer held down by the table and producing corresponding signals, and a control controlling the air cylinder assembly to select between the forces in response to the signals. The apparatus may comprise a grooving cutter assembly removably held by the table, a lock locking the rotation of the table when the apparatus produces the formed groove in the buff, and a stopper stopping the air cylinder assembly and positioning the cutter assembly relative to the buff.

Growing community of inventors

Urawa, Japan

Fumihiko Hasegawa