Abstract: A substrate holder holds a substrate while hermetically sealing an outer circumferential edge and a reverse side of the substrate and exposing a surface of the substrate. The substrate holder has a base and a cover having an opening defined therein and positioned to place the substrate between the base and the cover. An attracting mechanism couples the base and the cover to each other to hold the substrate between the base and the cover, with the surface of the substrate being exposed through the opening.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus useful for plating a substrate or processing a substrate by dipping a substrate in a processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a loading/unloading area for carrying in and out a substrate; a cleaning area for cleaning the substrate; and a plating area for plating the substrate, wherein the loading/unloading area is provided with a substrate transfer robot having a plurality of hands of dry-use design, a loading port mounted with a cassette for housing substrates, and a reversing machine of dry-use design for reversing the substrate from face up to face down.

Abstract: An electrolytic solution control method can control the composition of an electrolytic solution efficiently with high precision, and can remove a partially decomposed product of an organic component from an electrolytic solution. The electrolytic solution control method includes storing an electrolytic solution containing an organic component and an inorganic component in an electrolytic solution storage tank while controlling and keeping the electrolytic solution at a predetermined composition, adjusting an inorganic component of the waste electrolytic solution after use in electrolytic processing in an electrolytic processing apparatus, and then returning the waste electrolytic solution to the electrolytic solution storage tank.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plating apparatus which uses an insoluble anode and which can perform plating of a substrate stably while preventing oxygen gas, generated due to the use of the insoluble anode, from causing defects in the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate holder holds a substrate while hermetically sealing an outer circumferential edge and a reverse side of the substrate and exposing a surface of the substrate. The substrate holder has a base and a cover having an opening defined therein and positioned to place the substrate between the base and the cover. An attracting mechanism couples the base and the cover to each other to hold the substrate between the base and the cover, with the surface of the substrate being exposed through the opening.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrolytic processing apparatus which is capable of increasing the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness of a plated film by making more uniform an electric field distribution over the entire surface to be processed of a substrate even if the substrate has a large area and controlling more uniformly the speed, over the entire surface to be processed of the substrate.

Abstract: There is provided an electrolytic solution supply and recovery facility which, in response to an increase in the production amount of an associated electrolytic processing apparatus, can efficiently supply and recover an electrolytic solution while enhancing the productivity and lowering the production cost. An electrolytic solution supply and recovery facility for supplying and recovering an electrolytic solution to and from an electrolytic processing apparatus, includes: a fresh liquid supply section for storing a fresh electrolytic solution, said electrolytic solution having been transferred from a carry-in container that has been carried in from the outside, and for supplying the fresh electrolytic solution to the electrolytic processing apparatus; and a waste liquid recovery section for recovering the electrolytic solution from the electrolytic processing apparatus, storing the electrolytic solution and transferring the electrolytic solution to a carry-out container which is to be carried to the outside.

Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing method and apparatus which can securely carry out a pre-plating treatment that enables uniform plating in the necessary area of the surface of a substrate. The substrate processing method including: carrying out a cleaning treatment and a catalyst-imparting treatment of a surface of a substrate as pre-plating treatments; and then electroless plating a metal film on the catalyst-imparted surface of the substrate, wherein the cleaning treatment is carried out in a wider area of the surface of the substrate than that area to which a catalyst is imparted by the catalyst-imparting treatment.

Abstract: A workpiece is processed uniformly, e.g., a uniform plated film is formed on a workpiece, by a processing liquid, e.g., a plating solution, which is maintained in an optimum state while minimizing the amount of the processing liquid to be used. An apparatus for processing the workpiece has a plurality of solution supply tanks 50a, 50b for individually holding a plurality of solutions, respectively, to be mixed into a processing liquid 54 while managing the temperatures of the solutions, a plurality of mixing tanks 52a, 52b for mixing the solutions individually supplied from the solution supply tanks 50a, 50b into the processing liquid 54 while managing the temperatures of the solutions, and a processing bath 56 for introducing the processing liquid 54 therein and processing the workpiece, e.g., a substrate W, by bringing the workpiece into contact with the processing liquid 54 while managing the temperature of the processing liquid 54.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method suitable for processing a substrate with a plurality of liquids.

Abstract: A substrate holder holds a substrate while hermetically sealing an outer circumferential edge and a reverse side of the substrate and exposing a surface of the substrate. The substrate holder has a base and a cover having an opening defined therein and positioned to place the substrate between the base and the cover. An attracting mechanism couples the base and the cover to each other to hold the substrate between the base and the cover, with the surface of the substrate being exposed through the opening.

Abstract: A multi-head type polishing apparatus includes a polishing table having a polishing surface, a plurality of top rings for holding workpieces and pressing the workpieces against the polishing surface, and a carousel for supporting the top rings and indexing the top rings. The polishing apparatus further includes a rotary transporter disposed in a position which can be accessed by the top rings, and having a plurality of portions positioned on a predetermined circumference from a center of rotation of the rotary transporter for holding the workpieces. The polishing apparatus also has a pusher for transferring the workpieces between the rotary transporter and the top rings.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a polishing apparatus for polishing a semiconductor wafer. The apparatus comprises a storage section that is capable of receiving a workpiece to be polished and a polished workpiece. The polishing unit that polishes the workpiece includes a primary polishing table and a secondary polishing table, wherein the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table is constructed to be arranged such that at least a portion of a surface of the workpiece being polished by the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table extends beyond an edge of the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table. Also provided is a film thickness measuring device, which measures the thickness of a film formed on a polished workpiece while the polished workpiece is held by a top ring above a pusher.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish. The polishing apparatus comprises a turntable having a polishing surface, a top ring for holding a workpiece and pressing the workpiece against the polishing surface, a holding surface of the top ring for holding the workpiece, and a retainer ring for retaining the workpiece within the holding surface of the top ring. The holding surface is deformable by fluid having variable pressure, and the retainer ring presses the polishing surface under a variable pressing force.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a polishing apparatus for polishing a semiconductor wafer. The apparatus comprises a storage section that is capable of receiving a workpiece to be polished and a polished workpiece. The polishing unit that polishes the workpiece includes a primary polishing table and a secondary polishing table, wherein the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table is constructed to be arranged such that at least a portion of a surface of the workpiece being polished by the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table extends beyond an edge of the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table. Also provided is a film thickness measuring device, which measures the thickness of a film formed on a polished workpiece while the polished workpiece is held by a top ring above a pusher.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish by a combination of chemical polishing and mechanical polishing. The polishing apparatus includes a turntable with a polishing cloth mounted on an upper surface thereof, a top ring for supporting the workpiece to be polished and pressing the workpiece against the polishing cloth, and a dressing tool for dressing the polishing cloth on the turntable. The polishing apparatus further includes a cover which covers an upper surface of the turntable for preventing liquid on the turntable from being scattered, and inserting holes formed in an upper wall of the cover for inserting the top ring and the dressing tool therethrough.

Abstract: A workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer is polished to a planar finish by a polishing apparatus. The polishing apparatus comprises a turntable having a polishing surface thereon, a top ring for holding a workpiece and pressing the workpiece against the polishing surface, a dressing apparatus having a dresser element for dressing the polishing surface by bringing the dresser element into contact with the polishing surface, and a temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the dresser element before dressing and/or during dressing.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus has a turntable with a polishing surface, a top ring for pressing a workpiece against the polishing surface under a given pressure to polish the workpiece, and a dresser for dressing the polishing surface. The polishing surface has an outer circumferential edge portion cut off or the dresser has a predetermined outside diameter, such that the polishing surface has an outer circumferential edge positioned in alignment with or radially inwardly of an outer circumferential edge of the dresser in the radial direction of the turntable when the polishing surface is dressed by the dresser.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a polishing apparatus for polishing a semiconductor wafer. The apparatus comprises a storage section that is capable of receiving a workpiece to be polished and a polished workpiece. The polishing unit that polishes the workpiece includes a primary polishing table and a secondary polishing table, wherein the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table is constructed to be arranged such that at least a portion of a surface of the workpiece being polished by the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table extends beyond an edge of the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table. Also provided is a film thickness measuring device, which measures the thickness of a film formed on a polished workpiece while the polished workpiece is held by a top ring above a pusher.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a polishing apparatus for polishing a semiconductor wafer. The apparatus comprises a storage section that is capable of receiving a workpiece to be polished and a polished workpiece. The polishing unit that polishes the workpiece includes a primary polishing table and a secondary polishing table, wherein the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table is constructed to be arranged such that at least a portion of a surface of the workpiece being polished by the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table extends beyond an edge of the polishing surface of the secondary polishing table. Also provided is a film thickness measuring device, which measures the thickness of a film formed on a polished workpiece while the polished workpiece is held by a top ring above a pusher.