Abstract: In order to reduce the occurrence of current alarms in a semiconductor etching or deposition process, a controller determines an offset in relative positions of a cover ring and a shield over a wafer within a vacuum chamber. The controller provides a position alarm and/or adjusts the position of the cover ring or shield when the offset is greater than a predetermined value or outside a range of acceptable values.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus which can efficiently polish an entirety of a back surface of a substrate, with the back surface facing downward, is disclosed. The polishing apparatus includes: a substrate holder configured to rotate the substrate; a polishing head configured to polish the back surface of the substrate; a tape advancing device; and a translational rotating mechanism configured to cause the polishing head to make a translational rotating motion. The substrate holder includes a plurality of rollers which are rotatable about their own axes. The plurality of rollers have substrate-holding surfaces capable of contacting a periphery of the substrate. The polishing head is disposed below the substrate-holding surfaces. The polishing head includes a polishing blade configured to press the polishing tape against the back surface of the substrate, and a pressing mechanism configured to push the polishing blade upward.

Abstract: A substrate holding and rotation mechanism includes: a substrate holding roller that holds a peripheral portion of the substrate and rotates the substrate, the substrate holding roller including, a lower portion of the roller facing the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate, an upper portion of the roller facing the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate, and a clamping groove which is provided between the lower portion of the roller and the upper portion of the roller and into which the peripheral portion of the substrate is inserted; and a roller washing nozzle that injects a fluid from diagonally above the substrate holding roller to an area including the clamp groove and an upper surface of the upper portion of the roller.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a holding portion configured to hold a substrate including a bevel and an end surface in a peripheral edge portion of the substrate; a rotator configured to rotate the holding portion; a polishing head configured to be brought into contact with the peripheral edge portion of the substrate held by the holding portion and to polish the peripheral edge portion of the substrate; and a holder to which the polishing head is installed.

Abstract: A polishing system includes a platen having a top surface to support an annular polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate in contact with the annular polishing pad, a support structure extending above the platen and to which one or more polishing system components are secured, and a support post. The platen is rotatable about an axis of rotation that passes through approximately a center of the platen. The first support post has an upper end coupled to and supporting the support structure and a lower portion that is supported on the platen or that extends through an aperture in the platen.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a method and apparatus to remove consumable (e.g., sacrificial) polishing pad layers from a multilayer polishing pad. For example, the method includes measuring a thickness profile of a top polishing pad layer of a multilayer polishing pad and comparing the thickness profile to a threshold. The method, in response to the thickness profile being above the threshold, rinses the top polishing pad layer of the multilayer polishing pad and removes, after the top polishing pad layer has been rinsed, the top polishing pad layer to expose an underlying polishing pad layer of the multilayer polishing pad.

Abstract: Embodiments of a high-speed rotatable workpiece abrasive polishing head are disclosed that allow flat surfaced hard material workpieces or sapphire or semiconductor wafers to be polished at high abrading speeds that can use water-mist cooled quick-change fixed abrasive island-type discs. Workpieces can be quickly attached with vacuum to a rotatable workpiece plate having a curved (e.g., spherical) bearing with an offset spherical center of rotation located at the workpiece abraded surface. Abrading contact there prevents lateral abrading friction forces from tilting workpieces and causing non-flat workpiece surfaces. The workpiece carrier plate can be rotationally driven by a floating drive shaft having a spherical spline head that contacts the workpiece carrier plate at a position close to the workpiece abraded surface to avoid tilting of the workpiece due to the shaft-applied workpiece rotation forces.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an epitaxy substrate is provided. A handle substrate is provided. A beveling treatment is performed on an edge of a device substrate such that a bevel is formed at the edge of the device substrate, wherein a thickness of the device substrate is greater than 100 ?m and less than 200 ?m. An ion implantation process is performed on a first surface of the device substrate to form an implantation region within the first surface. A second surface of the device substrate is bonded to the handle substrate for forming the epitaxy substrate, wherein a bonding angle greater than 90° is provided between the bevel of the device substrate and the handle substrate, and a projection length of the bevel toward the handle substrate is between 600 ?m and 800 ?m.

Abstract: A method for repairing a polishing pad in real time includes a trimming step, a detection step, and a reconstruction and analysis step. A surface morphology of the polishing pad is reconstructed through detection, and analysis is performed according to the reconstruction, to ensure that a surface of the polishing pad can recover its function after the surface of the polishing pad is trimmed, so that the polishing pad can be used effectively to reduce costs.

Abstract: A control apparatus for controlling notification data presented to an occupant of a movable object having an automated driving function. The control apparatus includes a travel road specification unit configured to specify a road scheduled to be travelled by the movable object corresponding to a destination set for the movable object. The control apparatus includes a setting unit configured to set, according to the road scheduled to be travelled, a switching recommendation point for switching from automated drive to driver-led manual drive on the road scheduled to be travelled, and estimate a scheduled passing time instant at which the movable object passes the switching recommendation point. The control apparatus includes a notification plan generation unit configured to generate a notification plan for presenting predetermined notification data to the occupant of the movable object according to the switching recommendation point and the scheduled passing time instant.

Abstract: A polishing system includes a platen having a top surface to support an annular polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate in contact with the annular polishing pad, a support structure extending above the platen and to which one or more polishing system components are secured, and a support post. The platen is rotatable about an axis of rotation that passes through approximately a center of the platen. The first support post has an upper end coupled to and supporting the support structure and a lower portion that is supported on the platen or that extends through an aperture in the platen.

Abstract: A double disc surface grinding machine includes a clamp band which has a non-circular outer circumferential portion. The clamp band is attached to an outer circumferential surface of a work and is housed, under the attached state, in a storage portion which has a non-circular inner circumferential portion engageable with the outer circumferential portion of the clamp band, movably in a first direction. A rotation drive unit rotates the storage portion around a first rotation shaft extending in the first direction, to make the inner circumferential portion of the storage portion engage with the outer circumferential portion of the clamp band, thereby rotates the clamp band and the work together with the storage portion. At least one of the grinding wheels is fed onto the work so as to sandwich the work with a pair of rotating grinding wheels for grinding two main surfaces of the work.

Abstract: A method for polishing a workpiece in the production of an optical element, in particular for microlithography, wherein a relative movement takes place between a polishing tool (300) and a workpiece surface (110, 120, 210) being machined. A polishing tool surface (215, 315) of the polishing tool (300) is formed by a viscoelastic polishing medium (303), wherein the polishing tool surface has an average diameter which is less than 50% of the average diameter of the workpiece surface being machined. The polishing tool surface during polishing is guided by an overrun distance beyond at least one edge (110a, 110b, 120a, 120b, 210a, 210b) delimiting the workpiece surface being machined, wherein the average diameter of the polishing tool surface is at least twice the overrun distance.

Abstract: A cross-recess screwdriver sharpening assembly for sharpening a cross-recess screwdriver includes a housing that has a sharpening aperture. A plurality of grinding wheels is rotatably mounted within the housing. Each of the grinding wheels is arranged to define a grinding space. A plurality of sleeves is included wherein each of the sleeves is removably extendable into the interior of the housing to have the cross-recess screwdriver positioned therethrough such that the cross-recess screwdriver extends into the housing. The sharpening aperture receives one of the sleeves therethrough and is centrally aligned with the grinding space such that the cross-recess screwdriver is extendable into the grinding space to sharpen the cross-recess screwdriver. A drive is mounted in the housing and mechanically coupled to each of the grinding wheels. The drive is turned on to rotate each of the grinding wheels.

Abstract: A disk-shaped glass substrate for a magnetic-disk glass substrate includes an outer circumference having a roundness of 1.3 ?m or less. A first reference circle is obtained with a least squares method from a first outline corresponding to a shape of a lap around the outer circumference. A second reference circle is obtained with a least squares method from a second outline obtained by performing low-pass filtering using a period in which the number of peaks per lap is 150 as a cut-off value on the first outline. A ratio of the second peak count value defined by the number of peaks of the second outline that project outward in a radial direction from the second reference circle to the first peak count value defined by the number of peaks of the first outline that project outward in a radial direction from the first reference circle is 0.2 or less.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating integrated circuits using chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) for recessing metal are provided. In an embodiment, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes filling a trench with a metal and forming an overburden portion of the metal outside of the trench. The method further includes performing a planarization process with an etching slurry to remove the overburden portion of the metal and to recess the metal within the trench.

Abstract: The present invention provides: a method of polishing an object to be polished for processing a surface of the object to be polished into a concave or convex state with a high degree of accuracy; and a polishing pad. An object to be polished is placed on a polishing pad over the boundary between the first polishing region and the second polishing region, the first polishing region has grooves and the second polishing region has grooves different from those of the first polishing region, and either one of the two regions being formed on a region on the center side, and the other on the outer side in a radial direction on the surface of the polishing pad; and the object to be polished is polished by rotating the polishing pad and the object to be polished.

Abstract: A parts carrier assembly for a grinding machine includes an annular parts carrier and a bearing insert. The annular parts carrier includes an upper surface, a lower surface, an inner edge, an outer edge, and a plurality of loading apertures. The inner edge is configured to engage a driving wheel of the grinding machine. The driving wheel rotates about a central axis resulting in rotation of the parts carrier about an offset axis, which is offset from the central axis. The loading apertures are configured to receive parts to be ground by the grinding machine. The bearing insert includes an inner bearing surface complementary in shape to the outer edge of the parts carrier. The outer surface the parts carrier bears against the inner bearing surface of the bearing insert as the parts carrier rotates about the offset axis.

Abstract: An insert carrier is configured to receive at least one semiconductor wafer for double-side processing of the wafer between two working disks of a lapping, grinding or polishing process. The insert carrier includes a core of a first material that has a first surface and a second surface, and at least one opening configured to receive a semiconductor wafer. A coating at least partially covers the first and second surfaces of the core. The coating includes a surface remote from the core that includes a structuring including elevations and depressions. A correlation length of the elevations and depressions is in a range of 0.5 mm to 25 mm and an aspect ratio of the structuring is in a range of 0.0004 to 0.4.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are provided for reducing edge damage of a disk during chemical mechanical polishing. The apparatus includes a disk carrier configured to receive a disk, the disk having an outside edge and an inside edge, a raised ring adjacent the outside edge of the disk and extending from a surface of the disk carrier to a height greater than a height of the disk, and a raised column adjacent the inside edge of the disk and having a height greater than a height of the disk. The system includes a disk carrier for receiving a disk, a raised ring adjacent the outside edge of each opening, and plugs insertable into a central opening in the disk and having a height greater than a height of the disk. The method includes providing the apparatus, inserting a disk into the apparatus, and polishing the disk.

Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate polishing method capable of minimizing a difference of polishing amounts between a center portion and a rim portion of a large scale plate during a plate polishing process.

Abstract: The present invention is a wafer polishing method including simultaneously polishing both surfaces of a wafer by pressing and rubbing the wafer, while holding the wafer with: a lower turn table having a flat polishing-upper-surface rotationally driven; an upper turn table having a flat polishing-lower-surface rotationally driven, the upper turn table being arranged with facing to the lower turn table; and a carrier having a wafer-holding hole for holding the wafer, wherein the polishing is performed while measuring a thickness of the wafer through a plurality of openings provided between a rotation center and an edge of the upper turn table or the lower turn table, and switching a polishing slurry with a polishing slurry having a different polishing rate during the polishing of the wafer. As a result, there is provided a wafer polishing method that can manufacture a wafer having a high flatness and a high smoothness at high productivity and high yield.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing a substrate for magnetic recording media which is capable of efficiently removing alumina abrasive grains in the latter polishing step that have been stuck in the former polishing step during polishing of the substrate for magnetic recording media in which a NiP plating film has been formed on the surface of an Al alloy substrate, the method including: a rough polishing step for polishing the surface of a substrate for magnetic recording media, which is prepared by forming a NiP plating film on the surface of an Al alloy substrate, using a first grinder while supplying a polishing liquid containing alumina abrasive grains; and a finish polishing step for polishing the substrate for magnetic recording media following washing, using a second grinder while supplying a polishing liquid containing colloidal silica abrasive grains, wherein supply of the polishing liquid containing alumina abrasive grains is stopped and alumina abrasive grains are removed from the grinder b

Abstract: An object of the invention is to effectively remove particles on the glass substrate surfaces, even in the case wherein abrasive particles having a small particle size is used in the polishing step of the glass substrate and a supersonic treatment is performed at a high frequency at the supersonic cleaning step after the polishing step. In a manufacturing method of a glass substrate for a magnetic disk comprising a polishing step for performing polishing of the glass substrate and a supersonic cleaning step for performing supersonic cleaning of the glass substrate after the polishing step, the polishing step uses abrasive particles having a particle size of 10 nm to 30 nm and a first supersonic cleaning is performed at a frequency of 300 kHz to 1,000 kHz to form secondary particles and then a second supersonic cleaning is performed at a frequency of 30 kHz to 100 kHz in the supersonic cleaning step.

Abstract: A method for the simultaneous material-removing processing of both sides of at least three semiconductor wafers includes providing a double-side processing apparatus including two rotating ring-shaped working disks and a rolling apparatus. The carriers are arranged in the double-side processing apparatus and the openings are disposed in the carriers so as to satisfy the inequality: R/e·sin(?/N*)?r/e?1?1.2 where N* denotes a ratio of the round angle and an angle at which adjacent carriers are inserted into the rolling apparatus with the greatest distance with respect to one another, r denotes a radius of each opening for receiving a respective semiconductor wafer, e denotes a radius of a pitch circle around a midpoint of the carrier on which the opening is arranged, and R denotes a radius of the pitch circle on which the carriers move between the working disks by means of the rolling apparatus.

Abstract: A skewed burnishing head arrangement is provided for burnishing the surface of a disc. The skewing of the burnishing head relative to the diameter perpendicular to a sweeping direction provides improved wiping action that catches loose particles and surface contamination, as well as performing aggressive asperity cutting and surface conditioning, while preventing particles from being embedded into a disc surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for releasbly attaching flexible abrasive disks to a flat-surfaced platen that floats in three-point abrading contact with three rigid equal-height flat-surfaced rotable fixed-position workpiece spindles that are mounted on a precision-flat abrading machine base where the spindle surfaces are in a common plane that is co-planar with the base surface. The three spindles are positioned to form a triangle of platen supports where the rotational-centers of each of the spindles are positioned at the center of the annular width of the platen abrading surface. Flat surfaced workpieces are attached to the spindles and the rotating floating-platen abrasive surface contacts all three rotating workpieces to perform single-sided abrading. The platen abrasive can be re-reflattened by attaching equal-thickness abrasive disks to the three spindles that are rotated while in abrading contact with the rotating platen abrasive. There is no wear of the abrasive-disk protected platen surface.

Abstract: A method for finishing an edge of a glass sheet comprising a first grinding step and a second polishing step using different abrasive wheels. The method results in consistent finished edge quality and improved edge quality in term of sub-surface damage (SSD). The method can be advantageously utilized to finish the edges of a thin glass substrate for use as substrates of display devices, such as LCD displays and the like.

Abstract: A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polisher includes base, a substrate mounting surface, an annular inner ring, and an annular outer ring. The inner ring has an inner surface configured to circumferentially surround the edge of a substrate positioned on the substrate mounting surface, an outer surface, and a lower surface to contact a polishing pad. The inner ring is vertically movable relative to the substrate mounting surface. The outer ring has an inner surface circumferentially surrounding the inner ring, an outer surface, and a lower surface to contact the polishing pad. The outer ring is vertically movable relative to and independently of the substrate mounting surface and the inner ring. The lower surface of the inner ring has a first width, and the lower surface of the outer ring has a second width greater than the first width.

Abstract: A method for double-side polishing of a semiconductor wafer includes situating the semiconductor wafer in a cutout of a carrier that is disposed in a working gap between an upper polishing plate covered by a first polishing pad and a lower polishing plate covered by a second polishing pad. The first and second polishing pads each include tiled square segments that are formed by an arrangement of channels on the pads, where the square segments of the first pad are larger than the segments of the second pad. The square segments of the polishing pads include abrasives. During polishing, the carrier is guided such that a portion of the wafer temporarily projects laterally outside of the working gap. A polishing agent with a pH that is variable is supplied during polishing at a pH in a range of 11 to 12.5 during a first step and at a pH of at least 13 during a second step.

Abstract: An adhesive sheet comprising a sheetlike base material and, superimposed on one major surface thereof, an adhesive layer, wherein the average surface roughness on one major surface of the base material is in the range of 0.1 to 3.5 ?m and on the other major surface thereof is in the range of 0.05 to 0.7 ?m. In this structure, the average surface roughness values on both the major surfaces of the base material as a constituent of the adhesive sheet are regulated so as to fall within respective specified ranges, so that not only can any blocking occurring in backwinding of reeled adhesive sheet be inhibited but also any occurrence of minute unevenness (waving) on the wafer surface after grinding can be inhibited, and further that the transparency of the adhesive sheet can be maintained.

Abstract: A method of polishing a semiconductor wafer using a holding system including a lined cutout the size of the semiconductor wafer that is fixed to a carrier. The method includes holding the semiconductor wafer in the cutout through adhesion of a first side of the semiconductor wafer to a bearing surface in the cutout and polishing a second side of the held semiconductor wafer using a polishing pad that is fixed on a polishing plate while introducing a polishing agent between the second side of the semiconductor wafer and the polishing pad, the polishing pad including fixedly bonded abrasive materials. The carrier is guided during polishing such that a portion of the second side of the semiconductor wafer temporarily projects beyond a lateral edge of a surface of the polishing pad.

Abstract: A workpiece having a planar face the workpiece is rotated about a workpiece axis substantially perpendicular to the planar workpiece face, and a grinding disk centered on a disk axis is rotated about the disk axis. The disk has an annular planar disk face perpendicular to and centered on the disk axis and an annular frustoconical disk face extending from an edge of the planar disk face, centered on the disk axis, and angled inward from the planar disk face. A portion of the annular face is oriented perpendicular to the workpiece axis and pressed against the planar workpiece face to premachine most of the planar workpiece face. Thereafter the disk is pivoted and oriented parallel the planar workpiece face to finish machine the planar workpiece face with the planar disk face.

Abstract: A retainer is used with an apparatus for polishing a substrate. The substrate has upper and lower surfaces and a lateral, substantially circular, perimeter. The apparatus has a polishing pad with an upper polishing surface for contacting and polishing the lower face of the substrate. The retainer has an inward facing retaining face for engaging and retaining the substrate against lateral movement during polishing of the substrate. The retaining face engages a substrate perimeter at more than substantially a single discrete circumferential location along the perimeter.

Abstract: A method for creating a concave section of glass from a glass substrate having flat surfaces includes the use of a grinding wheel and a turntable. The method includes the steps of securing the glass substrates to the turntable. The turntable is then spun to create a turntable axis of rotation. The grinding wheel is rotated about a wheel axis of rotation such that the wheel axis of rotation is perpendicular to the turntable axis of rotation. The grinding wheel and the turntable move relative to each other along the turntable axis of rotation. The glass substrate is ground by the grinding wheel contacting the glass substrate to create the concave section of glass while the glass substrate is rotating about the wheel axis of rotation and moving relative to the turntable.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus capable of uniformly grinding an polishing pad. Further, the present invention provides a method of grinding an polishing pad by using the grinding apparatus.

Abstract: A double-disc grinding apparatus having at least: a rotatable ring-shaped holder for supporting a sheet-like wafer having a notch for indicating a crystal orientation from an outer circumference side along a radial direction, the holder having a protruding portion to be engaged with the crystal-orientation-indicating notch; and a pair of grindstones for simultaneously grinding both surfaces of the wafer supported by the holder, in which the holder is provided with at least one protruding portion separately from the protruding portion to be engaged with the crystal-orientation-indicating notch, and the both surfaces of the wafer are simultaneously ground by the pair of the grindstones while the wafer is supported and rotated with the at least one protruding portion being engaged with a wafer-supporting notch formed on the wafer.

Abstract: A process is provided for polishing a silicon electrode utilizing a polishing turntable and a dual function electrode platen. The dual function electrode platen is secured to the polishing turntable and comprises a plurality of electrode mounts arranged to project from an electrode engaging face of the dual function electrode platen. The electrode mounts complement respective positions of mount receptacles formed in a platen engaging face of the silicon electrode to be polished. The electrode mounts and the mount receptacles are configured to permit non-destructive engagement and disengagement of the electrode engaging face of the electrode platen and the platen engaging face of the silicon electrode. The dual function electrode platen further comprises platen adapter abutments positioned radially inward of the electrode mounts. The platen adapter abutments are configured to bring a platen adapter into approximate alignment with the rotary polishing axis.

Abstract: A method for cleaning plated polished disks used in hard drive media is provided. The method includes positioning plated polished disks in a first batch scrubber having multiple first brushes, wherein each of the plated polished disks is positioned between two of the first brushes, and scrubbing the plated polished disks with the first brushes. The method further includes positioning the plated polished disks scrubbed in the first batch scrubber in a second batch scrubber having multiple second brushes, wherein each of the plated polished disks is positioned between two of the second brushes, and scrubbing the plated polished disks with the second brushes.

Abstract: A method includes a grinding step of forming the shape of a contact surface, a grooving step of roughening the shaped contact surface to form grooves therein, and a contact surface lapping step of lapping the contact surface having the grooves with a lapping film to form oil grooves for holding a lubricant oil. The surface roughness of the contact surface is such that the maximum height roughness Rz is 4 ?m or less, the mean length RSm of the roughness profile elements is 30 to 60 ?m, the skewness Rsk of the roughness profile is ?2.7 to ?0.6 (no unit), the reduced peak height Rpk is 0.09 ?m or less, and the reduced valley depth Rvk is 0.4 to 1.3 ?m.

Abstract: There are provided an abrasive tape capable of suppressing contamination of a magnetic disk due to shattered abrasive particles and smoothing the surface of the magnetic disk; a method for producing an abrasive tape; and a varnishing process. An abrasive tape 1 produced according to the method for producing an abrasive tape of the invention is used in a process for varnishing a magnetic disk and produced according to a process for preparing a slurry by kneading and dispersing abrasive particles 5 and a binding agent 6; a process for forming a coating film by applying the slurry on a support 2; a process for forming an abrasive particle layer 3 by hardening the coating film; and a process for forming a coating layer 4 on the surface of the abrasive particle layer 3.

Abstract: A method for polishing a semiconductor wafer having a first side and a second side, the method includes polishing the first side using a Fixed Abrasive Polishing (FAP) with a polishing pad including fixedly bonded abrasives having an average particle size of 0.1-1.0 ?m; applying a cement layer with a thickness of at most 3 ?m to the polished first side; fixing the polished and cemented first side on a carrier plate of a polishing machine; and polishing the second side using a single-side chemical mechanical polishing.

Abstract: A method for creating a concave section of glass from a glass substrate having flat surfaces includes the use of a grinding wheel and a turntable. The method includes the steps of securing the glass substrates to the turntable. The turntable is then spun to create a turntable axis of rotation. The grinding wheel is rotated about a wheel axis of rotation such that the wheel axis of rotation is perpendicular to the turntable axis of rotation. The grinding wheel and the turntable move relative to each other along the turntable axis of rotation. The glass substrate is ground by the grinding wheel contacting the glass substrate to create the concave section of glass while the glass substrate is rotating about the wheel axis of rotation and moving relative to the turntable.

Abstract: Methods and devices for machining a die plate of an extruder for pelletization are provided. The device can include a grinding wheel with a grinding surface rotatably disposed on a drive mechanism of a cutter head associated with the extruder. The grinding surface can include a hard coating aligned with the die plate.

Abstract: A glass substrate for perpendicular magnetic recording, having a surface with an average surface roughness of 2.0? or less and surface height variations of 1? or less with wavelengths in the range of 0.05 mm-0.5 mm in both radial and circumferential directions, is produced by rotating a glass substrate, supplying polishing slurry containing a specified amount of abrading particles of artificial diamond on its surface, pressing a polishing tape on the surface and causing this polishing tape to travel in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the glass substrate.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a polishing pad prevents slurry leaks and provides a pad that can be used to provide high optical detection accuracy. The method for manufacturing a polishing pad includes forming a groove for injecting a light-transmitting region forming material on the back surface of a polishing layer; injecting the light-transmitting region forming material into the groove and curing the material to form a light-transmitting region; and buffing the front surface of the polishing layer to expose the light-transmitting region on the front surface.

Abstract: A polishing state monitoring apparatus measures characteristic values of a surface, being polished, of a workpiece to determine the timing of a polishing end point. The polishing state monitoring apparatus includes a light-emitting unit for applying light from a light source to a surface of a workpiece being polished, a light-receiving unit for receiving reflected light from the surface of the workpiece, a spectroscope unit for dividing the reflected light received by the light-receiving unit into a plurality of light rays having respective wavelengths, and light-receiving elements for accumulating the detected light rays as electrical information.

Abstract: A thinned semiconductor wafer and a method for thinning the semiconductor wafer. A semiconductor wafer is thinned from its backside to form a cavity in a central region of the backside of the semiconductor wafer. Forming the cavity also forms a ring support structure in a peripheral region of the semiconductor wafer. The ring support structure has an inner edge and an outer edge. The inner edge may be beveled or have a stepped shape.

Abstract: A wafer is polished by a method comprising a slicing step of cutting out a wafer from a single crystal ingot and a step of polishing at least one of both surfaces and an end face of the wafer, wherein the at least one surface and end face of the wafer are simultaneously subjected to a mirror polishing.

Abstract: Semiconductor wafers are CMP polished by polishing the rear side of the semiconductor wafer by means of CMP with a material removal with a profile along the diameter of the wafer wherein material removal is higher at the center than at the edge of the rear side; and polishing the front side of the wafer by means of CMP with a material removal with a profile along the diameter of the wafer wherein material removal is lower in the center of the front side than in an edge region of the front side.