Bonding apparatus, bonding system, bonding method, and recording medium

A bonding system equipped with a bonding apparatus configured to bond substrates,

• wherein the bonding apparatus comprises:
• a first holder configured to vacuum-exhaust a first substrate to attract and hold the first substrate on a bottom surface of the first holder;
• a second holder disposed under the first holder and configured to vacuum-exhaust a second substrate to attract and hold the second substrate on a top surface of the second holder;
• a rotator configured to rotate the first holder and the second holder relatively;
• a moving device configured to move the first holder and the second holder relatively in a horizontal direction;
• a position measurement device disposed at the first holder or the second holder rotated by the rotator, and configured to measure a position of the first holder or the second holder;
• and
• a controller configured to control the rotator and the moving device based on measurement results of the position measurement device,
• wherein the position measurement device comprises a first position measurement device, a second position measurement device and a third position measurement device, and
• a distance between the first position measurement device and the second position measurement device is same as a distance between the first position measurement device and the third position measurement device, and
• wherein the bonding system comprises:
• a processing station equipped with the bonding apparatus;
• and
• a carry-in/out station configured to place thereon multiple first substrates, multiple second substrates or multiple combined substrates each obtained by bonding the first substrate and the second substrate, and configured to carry the first substrates, the second substrates or the combined substrates into/from the processing station,
• wherein the processing station comprises:
• a surface modifying apparatus configured to modify surfaces of the first substrate or the second substrate to be bonded;
• a surface hydrophilizing apparatus configured to hydrophilize the surface of the first substrate or the second substrate modified by the surface modifying apparatus;
• and
• a transfer device configured to transfer the first substrates, the second substrates or the combined substrates with respect to the surface modifying apparatus, the surface hydrophilizing apparatus and the bonding apparatus,
• wherein, in the bonding apparatus, the first substrate and the second substrate having the surfaces hydrophilized by the surface hydrophilizing apparatus are bonded.

A bonding method of bonding substrates by using a bonding apparatus,

• wherein the bonding apparatus comprises:
• a first holder configured to vacuum-exhaust a first substrate to attract and hold the first substrate on a bottom surface of the first holder;
• a second holder disposed under the first holder and configured to vacuum-exhaust a second substrate to attract and hold the second substrate on a top surface of the second holder;
• a rotator configured to rotate the first holder and the second holder relatively;
• a moving device configured to move the first holder and the second holder relatively in a horizontal direction;
• and
• a position measurement device disposed at the first holder or the second holder rotated by the rotator and configured to measure a position of the first holder or the second holder,
• wherein the position measurement device comprises a first position measurement device, a second position measurement device and a third position measurement device, and
• a distance between the first position measurement device and the second position measurement device is same as a distance between the first position measurement device and the third position measurement device, and
• wherein the bonding method comprises:
• measuring the position of the first holder or the second holder by using the position measurement device;
• and
• adjusting a relative position between the first holder and the second holder by controlling the rotator and the moving device based on measurement results in the measuring of the position.

A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a bonding apparatus to perform a bonding method,

• wherein the bonding apparatus comprises:
• a first holder configured to vacuum-exhaust a first substrate to attract and hold the first substrate on a bottom surface of the first holder;
• a second holder disposed under the first holder and configured to vacuum-exhaust a second substrate to attract and hold the second substrate on a top surface of the second holder;
• a rotator configured to rotate the first holder and the second holder relatively;
• a moving device configured to move the first holder and the second holder relatively in a horizontal direction;
• and
• a position measurement device disposed at the first holder or the second holder rotated by the rotator and configured to measure a position of the first holder or the second holder,
• wherein the position measurement device comprises a first position measurement device, a second position measurement device and a third position measurement device, and
• a distance between the first position measurement device and the second position measurement device is same as a distance between the first position measurement device and the third position measurement device, and
• wherein the bonding method comprises:
• measuring the position of the first holder or the second holder by using the position measurement device;
• and
• adjusting a relative position between the first holder and the second holder by controlling the rotator and the moving device based on measurement results in the measuring of the position.