Abstract: A wire saw apparatus including: a plurality of wire guides; a wire row formed of a wire which is wound around the plurality of wire guides and configured to reciprocatively travel in an axial direction; a nozzle configured to supply a coolant or slurry to the wire; a workpiece-holding portion configured to suspend and hold a workpiece plate having a workpiece bonded thereto with a beam interposed therebetween; a workpiece-feeding mechanism configured to press the workpiece against the wire row; and a mechanism configured to adjust a parallelism of axes of the plurality of wire guides around which the wire row is formed. Thereby, a wire saw apparatus and a method for manufacturing a wafer are provided which enable manufacturing of a wafer having any warp shape by controlling a warp in a wire travelling direction of a sliced workpiece.

Abstract: A wire saw apparatus including: a plurality of wire guides; a wire row formed of a wire which is wound around the plurality of wire guides and configured to reciprocatively travel in an axial direction; a nozzle configured to supply a coolant or slurry to the wire; a workpiece-holding portion configured to suspend and hold a workpiece plate having a workpiece bonded thereto with a beam interposed therebetween; a workpiece-feeding mechanism configured to press the workpiece against the wire row; and a mechanism configured to adjust a parallelism of axes of the plurality of wire guides around which the wire row is formed. Thereby, a wire saw apparatus and a method for manufacturing a wafer are provided which enable manufacturing of a wafer having any warp shape by controlling a warp in a wire travelling direction of a sliced workpiece.

Abstract: A method for conditioning a polishing pad, which is configured to polish a wafer and attached to a rotatable discoid turntable, by using a conditioning head, the method being characterized by: moving the conditioning head in a radial direction of the turntable to perform the conditioning while rotating the polishing pad attached to the turntable by rotation of the turntable; and controlling a rotational speed of the turntable and a moving speed of the conditioning head in the radial direction of the turntable in correspondence with a distance of the conditioning head from a center of the turntable. Consequently, the method for conditioning a polishing pad which enables appropriately conditioning an entire polishing surface of the polishing pad can be provided.

Abstract: A workpiece processing apparatus including a control unit that is provided with a storage medium on which a polishing load measured when an upper turn table is moved downward to a fixed position in a state wherein the workpiece is properly held in holding hole of the carrier is recorded in advance, calculates a difference between a polishing load measured when upper turn table is moved downward to the fixed position in a state wherein the workpiece is held in holding hole of the carrier and the polishing load recorded on the storage medium, and judges the occurrence of abnormal holding of the workpiece if the calculated difference exceeds a threshold value. As a result, it becomes possible to detect abnormal holding of a workpiece in a short time with a high degree of precision before the workpiece is processed and prevent breakages of the workpiece and the processing apparatus.

Abstract: A wafer drying apparatus includes air supply unit having first and second air supply tube provided at respective first and second front-surface side of wafer, and wafer holding unit configured to vertically hold wafer, and configured so that wafer relatively moves with respect to air supply unit, plurality of first air outlets separated from each other at predetermined intervals are provided at wafer side of first air supply tube, plurality of second air outlets separated from each other at predetermined intervals are provided at wafer side of second air supply tube, plurality of first and second air outlets are respectively provided to form an angle with respect to vertical direction regarding wafer as to blow air from peripheral portion to central portion with respect to central line in vertical direction of wafer. It is possible to provide wafer drying apparatus with simple structure, which reduces undried portion without degrading productivity.

Abstract: A machining apparatus for a workpieces includes an upper turn table support mechanism supporting an upper turn table from above to be vertically movable by a cylinder extending along a rotational axis direction of the table, a horizontal plate fixed to the cylinder so that a main surface thereof becomes perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the cylinder, at least three displacement sensors which measure horizontal plate surface height positions when the upper turn table has moved down to a fixed position, and a control apparatus to calculate a relative upper turn table height position and an angle formed between the upper turn table rotational axis and the cylinder longitudinal axis from the horizontal plate surface height positions measured by the displacement sensors. A workpiece holding abnormality can be accurately and quickly detected before machining the workpiece to avoid damage, and an cylinder eccentric angle can be detected during machining.

Abstract: A method for conditioning a polishing pad, which is configured to polish a wafer and attached to a rotatable discoid turntable, by using a conditioning head, the method being characterized by: moving the conditioning head in a radial direction of the turntable to perform the conditioning while rotating the polishing pad attached to the turntable by rotation of the turntable; and controlling a rotational speed of the turntable and a moving speed of the conditioning head in the radial direction of the turntable in correspondence with a distance of the conditioning head from a center of the turntable. Consequently, the method for conditioning a polishing pad which enables appropriately conditioning an entire polishing surface of the polishing pad can be provided.

Abstract: Automatic handling apparatus having a suction-head sucking and holding a workpiece, an arm is connected to and moves the suction-head, and a stage on which the workpiece to be carried to the carrier holding hole is mounted, the suction-head has a movable section which is movable within a parallel plane to the suction-head body, the movable section to suck and hold the workpiece, and has positioning pins stretched in vertically lower direction and, at loading time, the workpiece held by the movable section into the carrier holding hole, the positioning pins are appressed against tooth-bottoms of a gear on the carrier outer periphery and movable section moving within the parallel plane. The carrier is pushed against the sun gear side to fix the carrier position and direction, and the held workpiece is carried into the holding hole. Consequently, the automatic handling apparatus load the workpiece into the carrier holding hole.

Abstract: A machining apparatus for a workpieces includes an upper turn table support mechanism supporting an upper turn table from above to be vertically movable by a cylinder extending along a rotational axis direction of the table, a horizontal plate fixed to the cylinder so that a main surface thereof becomes perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the cylinder, at least three displacement sensors which measure horizontal plate surface height positions when the upper turn table has moved down to a fixed position, and a control apparatus to calculate a relative upper turn table height position and an angle formed between the upper turn table rotational axis and the cylinder longitudinal axis from the horizontal plate surface height positions measured by the displacement sensors. A workpiece holding abnormality can be accurately and quickly detected before machining the workpiece to avoid damage, and an cylinder eccentric angle can be detected during machining.

Abstract: A workpiece holding apparatus, including: a rigid body having a vent; a suction pad adhered onto the lower end face of rigid body and having an opening communicating with vent, being configured to suck and hold a workpiece; an air controlling mechanism communicating with the vent, being configured to aspirate or discharge air through vent to aspirate or discharge air from opening; and a swelling portion being configured to be supplied with air by air controlling mechanism through the vent to swell out at least part of an area of suction pad to be in contact with the workpiece toward the workpiece in detaching workpiece from suction pad; wherein suction pad is configured to suck and hold workpiece by bringing the opening into contact with workpiece while aspirating air by air controlling mechanism through opening, and is configured to detach the workpiece from suction pad by discharging air from opening.

Abstract: Automatic handling apparatus having a suction-head sucking and holding a workpiece, an arm is connected to and moves the suction-head, and a stage on which the workpiece to be carried to the carrier holding hole is mounted, the suction-head has a movable section which is movable within a parallel plane to the suction-head body, the movable section to suck and hold the workpiece, and has positioning pins stretched in vertically lower direction and, at loading time, the workpiece held by the movable section into the carrier holding hole, the positioning pins are appressed against tooth-bottoms of a gear on the carrier outer periphery and movable section moving within the parallel plane. The carrier is pushed against the sun gear side to fix the carrier position and direction, and the held workpiece is carried into the holding hole. Consequently, the automatic handling apparatus load the workpiece into the carrier holding hole.

Abstract: A workpiece holding apparatus, including: a rigid body having a vent; a suction pad adhered onto the lower end face of rigid body and having an opening communicating with vent, being configured to suck and hold a workpiece; an air controlling mechanism communicating with the vent, being configured to aspirate or discharge air through vent to aspirate or discharge air from opening; and a swelling portion being configured to be supplied with air by air controlling mechanism through the vent to swell out at least part of an area of suction pad to be in contact with the workpiece toward the workpiece in detaching workpiece from suction pad; wherein suction pad is configured to suck and hold workpiece by bringing the opening into contact with workpiece while aspirating air by air controlling mechanism through opening, and is configured to detach the workpiece from suction pad by discharging air from opening.

Abstract: A workpiece processing apparatus including a control unit that is provided with a storage medium on which a polishing load measured when an upper turn table is moved downward to a fixed position in a state wherein the workpiece is properly held in holding hole of the carrier is recorded in advance, calculates a difference between a polishing load measured when upper turn table is moved downward to the fixed position in a state wherein the workpiece is held in holding hole of the carrier and the polishing load recorded on the storage medium, and judges the occurrence of abnormal holding of the workpiece if the calculated difference exceeds a threshold value. As a result, it becomes possible to detect abnormal holding of a workpiece in a short time with a high degree of precision before the workpiece is processed and prevent breakages of the workpiece and the processing apparatus.

Abstract: A wafer drying apparatus includes air supply unit having first and second air supply tube provided at respective first and second front-surface side of wafer, and wafer holding unit configured to vertically hold wafer, and configured so that wafer relatively moves with respect to air supply unit, plurality of first air outlets separated from each other at predetermined intervals are provided at wafer side of first air supply tube, plurality of second air outlets separated from each other at predetermined intervals are provided at wafer side of second air supply tube, plurality of first and second air outlets are respectively provided to form an angle with respect to vertical direction regarding wafer as to blow air from peripheral portion to central portion with respect to central line in vertical direction of wafer. It is possible to provide wafer drying apparatus with simple structure, which reduces undried portion without degrading productivity.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a carrier for a double-side polishing apparatus for polishing surfaces of a wafer, the carrier having: a carrier body arranged between upper and lower turn tables, the carrier body having a holding hole for holding the wafer; and a ring-shaped resin insert arranged along an inner circumference of the holding hole, the resin insert having an inner circumferential surface to be brought into contact with a peripheral portion of the wafer to be held, the method having the steps of attaching, to the holding hole of the carrier body, a base material for the resin insert not having the inner circumferential surface to be brought into contact with the wafer to be held, and performing inner-circumferential-surface-forming processing on the base material for the resin insert to form the inner circumferential surface to be brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer to be held.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a carrier for a double-side polishing apparatus for polishing surfaces of a wafer, the carrier having: a carrier body arranged between upper and lower turn tables, the carrier body having a holding hole for holding the wafer; and a ring-shaped resin insert arranged along an inner circumference of the holding hole, the resin insert having an inner circumferential surface to be brought into contact with a peripheral portion of the wafer to be held, the method having the steps of attaching, to the holding hole of the carrier body, a base material for the resin insert not having the inner circumferential surface to be brought into contact with the wafer to be held, and performing inner-circumferential-surface-forming processing on the base material for the resin insert to form the inner circumferential surface to be brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer to be held.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an SOI wafer includes a bonding step, a thinning and a bonding annealing step. Assuming refractive index n1 of SiO2 as 1.5, refractive index n2 of Si as 3.5, and optical thickness tOP of the silicon oxide film 2 and the SOI layer 15 in the infrared wavelength region as tOP=n1×t1+n2×t2, the thickness t1 of the silicon oxide film 2 and thickness t2 of the SOI layer so as to satisfy a relation of 0.1?<tOP<2?, and so as to make (t1×n1)/(t2×n2) fall within 0.2 to 3. By nuclei killer annealing carried out before the bonding annealing, density of formation of oxygen precipitate in the base wafer after the bonding annealing is adjusted to less than 1×109/cm3. This configuration successfully provides a method of manufacturing the SOI wafer having the thin silicon oxide film and the SOI layer, and being less likely to cause warping.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an SOI wafer includes a bonding step, a thinning and a bonding annealing step. Assuming refractive index n1 of SiO2 as 1.5, refractive index n2 of Si as 3.5, and optical thickness tOP of the silicon oxide film 2 and the SOI layer 15 in the infrared wavelength region as tOP=n1×t1+n2×t2, the thickness t1 of the silicon oxide film 2 and thickness t2 of the SOI layer so as to satisfy a relation of 0.1?<tOP<2?, and so as to make (t1×n1)/(t2×n2) fall within 0.2 to 3. By nuclei killer annealing carried out before the bonding annealing, density of formation of oxygen precipitate in the base wafer after the bonding annealing is adjusted to less than 1×109/cm3. This configuration successfully provides a method of manufacturing the SOI wafer having the thin silicon oxide film and the SOI layer, and being less likely to cause warping.

Abstract: A wafer etching apparatus for etching wafers provided with an orientation flat, composed of a casing, at least five horizontal, parallel and rotative rollers having annular engagement grooves arranged at regular intervals in the axial direction to receive and support wafers vertically, and a press rod means, wherein the rotative rollers are arranged such that the rollers cooperate to circumscribe the wafers, and that when the orientation flat faces any one of the rollers the rest of the rollers cooperate to hold the wafer so as to prevent the orientation flat from coming in contact with the facing roller.