Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus configured to grind a first substrate in a combined substrate in which the first substrate and a second substrate are bonded to each other, the substrate processing apparatus comprises:

• a substrate holder configured to hold the combined substrate;
• a finishing grinder configured to perform finishing grinding on the first substrate that is roughly ground;
• a first thickness distribution measurement device configured to measure a thickness distribution of the first substrate before being subjected to the finishing grinding;
• and
• a controller and a storage including a computer program, wherein the storage and the computer program are configured, with the controller, to control an operation of the first thickness distribution measurement device, the finishing grinder, and the substrate holder,
• the controller processes multiple combined substrates successively in the substrate processing apparatus, and
• the controller is configured to:
• measure, by the first thickness distribution measurement device, a first thickness distribution of the first substrate in a first one of the multiple combined substrates before being subjected to the finishing grinding;
• measure, by the first thickness distribution measurement device, a second thickness distribution of the first substrate in a second one of the multiple combined substrates, which is processed after the first one, before being subjected to the finishing grinding;
• decide a relative inclination between the substrate holder and the finishing grinder, based on first difference data between the first thickness distribution and the second thickness distribution;
• and control the finishing grinder and the substrate holder to perform finishing grinding on the first substrate in the second one of the multiple combined substrates while holding the second one of the multiple combined substrates at the inclination which is decided.