Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Mikichi Ban

Kazuo Takahashi

Matsuomi Nishimura

Masaru Nyui

Takehiko Suzuki

Yasushi Sugiyama

Osamu Ikeda

Susumu Ito

Osamu Kakuchi

Takashi Kamono

Shinzo Uchiyama

Kazuhiko Hara

Hironori Yamamoto

Masaru Ohtsuka

Yoshiya Matsui

Kunio Takeshi

Yuki Toriumi

Osamu Shiba

Kyoji Nariai

A polishing apparatus that can effectively and efficiently remove potassium and other alkaline metals comprises integrally a polishing unit for polishing an object by means of a polishing agent and a cleaning unit for cleaning the polished object. The polishing unit and the cleaning unit have means for isolating the internal atmosphere from the external atmosphere and the cleaning unit has a means for cleaning the polished object by bringing hot pure water or steam of pure water into contact with the polished object. With a cleaning method hot pure water is brought into contact with the polished object without drying it after having been polished by such a polishing apparatus.

Polishing/cleaning method as well as method of making a wiring section using a polishing apparatus

The present invention provides a precise polishing apparatus and method in which a polished body is polished by rotating a polishing pad having a diameter greater than that of the polished body while urging the polishing pad against the polished body in conditions that a center of the polished body is deviated from a rotation axis of the polishing pad and that the polishing pad is contacted with the entire polished surface of the polished body. The polished body may be a semi-conductor wafer.

Precise polishing apparatus and method

In order to measure a thickness of a surface to be polished of a material to be polished for a short time, two-dimensional images are obtained from a light reflected from the surface to be polished of the material to be polished, a location at which a thickness is to be observed is specified by the obtained two-dimensional images, and thickness measurement is carried out.

Polishing apparatus and polishing method

This specification discloses a polishing method of polishing the surface of a film layer provided on the surface of a substrate by polishing means with both of them driven relative to each other, having a position detecting step of detecting a predetermined position on the surface of the film layer, a first measuring step of applying momentary light from a light source to the predetermined position, and detecting the light beam from the predetermined position by a light receiving element to thereby measure the film thickness at the predetermined position, and a controlling step of controlling the polishing state by using data obtained in the first measuring step. The specification also discloses a polishing apparatus using such polishing method.

Polishing method and polishing apparatus using the same

Polishing apparatus with transfer arm for moving polished object without drying it

In order to reclaim defective articles, wafers carried in from a loading unit are transported to a wafer stocker unit, a polishing unit, a pre-rinsing unit, a rinsing unit, a spin dehydrating unit and a drying unit in the named order, and in a defect inspecting device, defective articles are sorted and the remainder are taken out of an unloading unit as products. The defective articles are classified in a discriminating device in conformity with the kinds of defects and are returned to the polishing unit, the rinsing unit or the drying unit through a return duct.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device using precision polishing

A precision polishing apparatus has a first hermetically sealed chamber provided with polishing means, a third hermetically sealed chamber capable of communicating with the first hermetically sealed chamber through a second hermetically sealed chamber, first and second opening-closing means for alternately placing the first and the third hermetically sealed chamber in communication with the second hermetically sealed chamber, and atmosphere pressure control means for controlling the atmosphere pressure of the first and the second hermetically sealed chamber so that the atmosphere pressure of the first hermetically sealed chamber may become lower than the atmosphere pressure of the second hermetically sealed chamber when at least the first opening-closing means is opened.

Precision polishing method using hermetically sealed chambers

A method and apparatus for measuring the thickness of a film layer provided on a predetermined surface includes a step and device for detecting light reception signals of interference light of different wavelengths generated when light illuminates the film layer on the predetermined surface, a step or device for performing a first process for obtaining an approximate value for the film thickness by selecting a combination of solutions with the closest values from among solutions for the film thickness obtainable from at least three of the light reception signals corresponding to the respective wavelengths, and a step or device for performing a second process for obtaining an exact value for the film thickness by selecting a combination of solutions with the closest values from among solutions for the film thickness obtainable from all the light reception signals corresponding to the respective wavelengths. The second process is performed on the basis of the approximate value and with a restricted range for selection of the combination.

Film thickness measuring method and apparatus

A polishing method of polishing the surface of a layer provided on the surface of a substrate includes a surface configuration measuring step of detecting surface information at a plurality of locations on the layer and obtaining the surface configuration of the layer, the surface configuration of the layer being obtained by measuring a distance from a reference surface set relative to the surface of the layer, a film thickness distribution measuring step of detecting the film thicknesses at a plurality of locations on the layer and obtaining the film thickness distribution of the layer, a determining step of determining whether the surface configuration and film thickness distribution of the layer are within a preset allowable range and a polishing controlling step of continuing or stopping the polishing on the basis of a result of the determination in the determining step.

An aberration correction system having a first lens disposed at an object side; and a second lens disposed at an image side, wherein the first and second lenses have different dispersions (Abbe numbers) with respect to each other, the surface of the object side of the first lens and the surface of the image side of the second lens which is adjacent to the image have substantially common center of curvature and the first and second lenses rotate around the center of curvature.

Aberration correction system and astronomical telescope having the same

In order to reclaim defective articles, wafers carried in from a loading unit are transported to a wafer stocker unit, a polishing unit, a pre-rinsing unit, a rinsing unit, a spin dehydrating unit and a drying unit in the named order, and in a defect inspecting device, defective articles are sorted and the remainder are taken out as products out of an unloading unit. The defective articles are classified in a discriminating device in conformity with the kinds of the defects thereof, and are returned to the polishing unit, the rinsing unit or the drying unit through a return duct.

Precision polishing apparatus with detecting means

Disclosed is a method of polishing the surface of a film provided on a substrate, by use of a polishing device, while relatively moving the film surface and the polishing device. The method includes a position detecting step for detecting a predetermined position on the surface of the film, a first measurement step for measuring an absolute value of the film thickness at the predetermined position, and a second measurement step for measuring film thickness information of the film about the predetermined position, on the basis of a measured value obtained through the first measurement step. The method also includes a film thickness distribution measurement step for detecting a film thickness distribution of the film, on the basis of a data obtained through the first and second measurement steps, and a control step for controlling continuation/discontinuation of polishing, on the basis of a data obtained through the film thickness distribution measurement step.

Method and apparatus for measuring film thickness and film thickness

A precision polishing apparatus has a first hermetically sealed chamber provided with polishing means, a third hermetically sealed chamber capable of communicating with the first hermetically sealed chamber through a second hermetically sealed chamber, first and second opening-closing means for alternately placing the first and the third hermetically sealed chamber in communication with with the second hermetically sealed chamber, and atmosphere pressure control means for controlling the atmosphere pressure of the first and the second hermetically sealed chamber so that the atmosphere pressure of the first hermetically sealed chamber may become lower than the atmosphere pressure of the second hermetically sealed chamber when at least the first opening-closing means is opened.

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Miura, Japan

Mikichi Ban