# US 12,191,153 B2 · Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing system and substrate processing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,191,153 B2 - Document ID: US12191153B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/627,147 - Filed: 2020-07-08 - Published: 2022-09-01 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-17 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Munehisa Kodama; Tomohiro Kaneko - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191153B2 ## CPC - H10P 50/642: {Chemical etching} - H10P 90/12: {Preparing bulk and homogeneous wafers} - B23Q 1/64: characterised by the purpose of the movement (indexing equipment B23Q16/02) - B23Q 1/66: Worktables interchangeably movable into operating positions - B23Q 3/02: for mounting on a work-table, tool-slide, or analogous part (B23Q3/15 takes precedence) - B23Q 3/08: other than mechanically-actuated {(B23Q3/061, B23Q3/066, and B23Q3/067 take precedence)} - B24B 7/00: Machines or devices designed for grinding plane surfaces on work, including polishing plane glass surfaces; Accessories therefor (B24B21/00 takes precedence; honing of plane surfaces on work B24B33/055) - B24B 41/06: Work supports, e.g. adjustable steadies (B24B37/27 takes precedence) - B24B 49/12: involving optical means - H10P 70/20: {Cleaning during device manufacture} - H10P 72/0404: {for general liquid treatment, e.g. etching followed by cleaning} - H10P 72/0424: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles} - H10P 72/0456: {in-line arrangement} - H10P 72/0458: {vertical arrangement} - H10P 72/0472: {comprising at least one polishing chamber} - H10P 72/0606: {Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection} - H10P 72/7618: {characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel} - H10P 72/7621: {characterised by supporting two or more semiconductor substrates} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - B24B: MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING (grinding of gear teeth B23F, of screw-threads B23G1/36; by electro-erosion B23H; abrasive or related blasting B24C; tools for grinding, buffing or sharpening B24D; polishing compositions C09G1/00; abrasives C09K3/14; electrolytic etching or polishing C25F3/00; grinding arrangements for use on assembled railway tracks E01B31/17); DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS ## Abstract A substrate processing apparatus includes a pair of first substrate chucks each configured to hold a substrate from below while allowing a first main surface of the substrate to face upwards; a pair of second substrate chucks each configured to hold the substrate from below while allowing a second main surface of the substrate opposite to the first main surface to face upwards; a rotary table which is configured to be rotated about a rotation axis; a first processing unit equipped with a first processing tool configured to process the first main surface of the substrate held by the first substrate chuck; and a second processing unit equipped with a second processing tool configured to process the second main surface of the substrate held by the second substrate chuck. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a pair of first substrate chucks each configured to hold a substrate from below while allowing a first main surface of the substrate to face upwards; a pair of second substrate chucks each configured to hold the substrate from below while allowing a second main surface of the substrate opposite to the first main surface to face upwards; a rotary table which holds, around a vertical rotation axis thereof, a first one of the pair of first substrate chucks, a first one of the pair of second substrate chucks, a second one of the pair of first substrate chucks, and a second one of the pair of second substrate chucks in this sequence at a regular distance therebetween, and which is configured to be rotated about the rotation axis; a first processing unit equipped with a first processing tool configured to process the first main surface of the substrate held by the first substrate chuck; and a second processing unit equipped with a second processing tool configured to process the second main surface of the substrate held by the second substrate chuck. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the first substrate chuck is performed, a second position at which a processing of the substrate by the second processing unit is performed, a third position at which a processing of the substrate by the first processing unit is performed, and a fourth position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the second substrate chuck is performed are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotary table in this order at a regular distance therebetween. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the first substrate chuck and to/from the second substrate chuck is performed, a second position at which a processing of the substrate by the second processing unit is performed, a third position at which a processing of the substrate by the first processing unit is performed, and a fourth position at which neither the attachment/detachment of the substrate nor the processing of the substrate is performed are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotary table in this order at a regular distance therebetween. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first substrate chuck and the second substrate chuck are held by the rotary table so as to be rotated around respective rotation axes thereof, and wherein the substrate processing apparatus comprises: a first tilt angle adjusting unit configured to adjust a tilt angle of the rotation axis of the first substrate chuck; and a second tilt angle adjusting unit configured to adjust a tilt angle of the rotation axis of the second substrate chuck. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first substrate chuck includes a conical substrate holding surface processed by the first processing unit, and the second substrate chuck includes a conical substrate holding surface processed by the second processing unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising: a first tilt angle correcting unit configured to correct the tilt angle of the rotation axis of the first substrate chuck based on a plate thickness distribution in a diametrical direction of the substrate processed by the first processing unit; and a second tilt angle correcting unit configured to correct the tilt angle of the rotation axis of the second substrate chuck based on a plate thickness distribution in the diametrical direction of the substrate processed by the second processing unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein a first position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the first substrate chuck and measurement of a plate thickness of the substrate processed by the first processing unit are performed, a second position at which a processing of the substrate by the second processing unit is performed, a third position at which a processing of the substrate by the first processing unit is performed, and a fourth position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the second substrate chuck and measurement of a plate thickness of the substrate processed by the second processing unit are performed are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotary table in this order at a regular distance therebetween. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein a first position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the first substrate chuck and to/from the second substrate chuck is performed, a second position at which a processing of the substrate by the second processing unit is performed, a third position at which a processing of the substrate by the first processing unit is performed, and a fourth position at which measurement of a plate thickness of the substrate processed by the first processing unit and measurement of a plate thickness of the substrate processed by the second processing unit are performed are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotary table in this order at a regular distance therebetween. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A substrate processing system, comprising: a substrate processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1; a cleaning apparatus configured to clean the substrate taken out from the substrate processing apparatus after the processing by the first processing unit and before the processing by the second processing unit; and a buffer device configured to store therein the substrate after being cleaned by the cleaning apparatus and before being returned back into the substrate processing apparatus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The substrate processing system of claim 9, further comprising: an inverting device configured to invert the substrate cleaned by the cleaning apparatus upside down; and an alignment device configured to detect a center of the substrate inverted upside down by the inverting device, wherein the buffer device is provided at a portion of a transfer path of the substrate which is transferred from the cleaning apparatus to the alignment device via the inverting device. ### Claim 11 A substrate processing method, comprising: rotating a rotary table around a vertical rotation axis thereof, the rotary table holding a pair of first substrate chucks and a pair of second substrate chucks at a regular distance therebetween around the rotation axis thereof; holding a substrate from below with each of the pair of first substrate chucks symmetrically arranged with respect to the rotation axis, while allowing a first main surface of the substrate to face upwards; processing the first main surface of the substrate held by the first substrate chuck with a first processing unit; holding the substrate from below with each of the pair of second substrate chucks symmetrically arranged with respect to the rotation axis, while allowing a second main surface of the substrate opposite to the first main surface to face upwards; and processing the second main surface of the substrate held by the second substrate chuck with a second processing unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The substrate processing method of claim 11, wherein a first position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the first substrate chuck is performed, a second position at which a processing of the substrate by the second processing unit is performed, a third position at which a processing of the substrate by the first processing unit is performed, and a fourth position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the second substrate chuck is performed are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotary table in this order at a regular distance therebetween, and the substrate processing method comprises moving each of the pair of first substrate chucks to the first position and the third position alternately, and moving each of the pair of second substrate chucks to the second position and the fourth position alternately by rotating the rotary table. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The substrate processing method of claim 11, wherein a first position at which attachment/detachment of the substrate to/from the first substrate chucks and to/from the second substrate chuck is performed, a second position at which a processing of the substrate by the second processing unit is performed, a third position at which a processing of the substrate by the first processing unit is performed, and a fourth position at which neither the attachment/detachment of the substrate nor the processing of the substrate is performed are arranged around the rotation axis of the rotary table in this order at a regular distance therebetween, and the substrate processing method comprises moving each of the pair of first substrate chucks and each of the pair of second substrate chucks to the first position, the second position, the third position and the fourth position in this order, and returning each of the pair of first substrate chucks and each of the pair of second substrate chucks to the first position from the fourth position by rotating the rotary table. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The substrate processing method of claim 11, wherein the pair of the first substrate chucks and the pair of the second substrate chucks are held by the rotary table so as to be rotated around respective rotation axes thereof, and the substrate processing method comprises adjusting a tilt angle of the rotation axis of the first substrate chuck, and adjusting a tilt angle of the rotation axis of the second substrate chuck. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The substrate processing method of claim 14, further comprising: holding the substrate from below on a conical substrate holding surface of the first substrate chuck processed by the first processing unit, and holding the substrate from below on a conical substrate holding surface of the second substrate chuck processed by the second processing unit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The substrate processing method of claim 14, further comprising: correcting the tilt angle of the rotation axis of the first substrate chuck based on a plate thickness distribution in a diametrical direction of the substrate processed by the first processing unit; and correcting the tilt angle of the rotation axis of the second substrate chuck based on a plate thickness distribution in the diametrical direction of the substrate processed by the second processing unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The substrate processing method of claim 11, further comprising: cleaning the substrate detached from the first substrate chuck after the processing by the first processing unit and before the processing by the second processing unit; and storing the cleaned substrate in a buffer device before being attached to the second substrate chuck. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The substrate processing method of claim 17, further comprising: inverting the cleaned substrate upside down; and detecting a center of the substrate inverted upside down, wherein the storing of the cleaned substrate in the buffer device is performed before the detecting of the center of the substrate inverted upside down.