Substrate polishing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a substrate polishing apparatus that can reduce overall processing time when performing multiple types of polishing.SOLUTION: A substrate polishing apparatus comprises a first polishing module, a second polishing module, and a third polishing module, and the first polishing module, the second polishing module, and the third polishing module are polishing modules that polish different respective areas of the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate polishing apparatus for polishing substrates such as wafers, and more particularly to a substrate polishing apparatus for polishing notch portions, bevel portions, device surfaces, and back surfaces of substrates. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, managing the surface condition of substrates has attracted attention from the perspective of improving yield in semiconductor device manufacturing. During the semiconductor device manufacturing process, various materials are deposited on silicon wafers. As a result, unwanted films and surface roughness form around the periphery of the substrate. In recent years, a method of transporting a substrate by holding only the periphery of the substrate with an arm has become common. Under these circumstances, the unwanted films remaining on the periphery peel off during various processes and adhere to devices formed on the substrate, reducing yield. Therefore, to remove the unwanted films formed around the periphery of the substrate, the periphery of the substrate is polished using a substrate polishing apparatus.

[0003] A bevel and a notch are generally formed on the peripheral edge of a substrate. The bevel is a chamfered portion on the peripheral edge of the substrate, and is formed to prevent chipping of the substrate and the generation of particles. On the other hand, the notch is a cutout formed on the peripheral edge of the substrate to identify the crystal orientation. Substrate polishing apparatuses that polish the peripheral edge of the substrate described above can be broadly divided into bevel polishing apparatuses that polish the bevel and notch polishing apparatuses that polish the notch.

[0004] In recent years, devices such as memory circuits, logic circuits, and image sensors (e.g., CMOS sensors) have become increasingly highly integrated. During the processes used to fabricate these devices, foreign particles such as fine particles and dust can adhere to the devices. Foreign particles adhering to devices can cause short circuits between wiring and circuit malfunctions. Therefore, to improve device reliability, it is necessary to clean the substrates on which the devices are formed and remove any foreign particles on the substrate.

[0005] Foreign matter such as the fine particles and dust particles described above can also adhere to the back surface (non-device surface) of the substrate. If such foreign matter adheres to the back surface of the substrate, the substrate may move away from the stage reference surface of the exposure apparatus, or the surface of the substrate may tilt relative to the stage reference surface, resulting in misalignment of the patterning or deviation of the focal length. To prevent such problems, the back surface of the substrate is polished using a back surface polishing apparatus.

[0006] Furthermore, the device surface of the substrate may be slightly polished to remove sticky foreign matter adhering to the device surface of the substrate or to remove micro-scratches on the device surface of the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-87655 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The above-mentioned polishing of the substrate bevel, notch, backside, and device side is performed using four types of equipment: bevel polishing equipment, notch polishing equipment, backside polishing equipment, and device side polishing equipment. When switching to a different type of substrate polishing equipment, the substrate needs to be cleaned and dried each time, making it difficult to improve the throughput of the entire process.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention provides a substrate polishing apparatus that can reduce the overall processing time when performing multiple types of polishing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In one embodiment, a substrate polishing apparatus is provided, comprising a first polishing module, a second polishing module, and a third polishing module, each of which polishes a different region of a substrate. In one embodiment, the first polishing module, the second polishing module, and the third polishing module are arranged in a straight line when viewed from above the substrate polishing apparatus. In one embodiment, the first polishing module is one of a notch polishing module that polishes a notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes a bevel portion of the substrate, and a back surface polishing module that polishes a back surface of the substrate, the second polishing module is the other one of the notch polishing module, the bevel polishing module, and the back surface polishing module, and the third polishing module is the remaining one of the notch polishing module, the bevel polishing module, and the back surface polishing module. In one embodiment, the first polishing module is one of a device surface polishing module that polishes the device surface of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes the bevel portion of the substrate, and a back surface polishing module that polishes the back surface of the substrate, the second polishing module is the other one of the device surface polishing module, the bevel polishing module, and the back surface polishing module, and the third polishing module is the remaining one of the device surface polishing module, the bevel polishing module, and the back surface polishing module. In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus further comprises a housing, and the first polishing module, the second polishing module, and the third polishing module are disposed within the housing.

[0011] In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus further includes a first control module, a second control module, and a third control module that respectively control the operation of the first polishing module, the second polishing module, and the third polishing module, and the first to third polishing modules and the first to third control modules are removably arranged within the housing. In one embodiment, the first, second, third, and fourth polishing modules have the same size, and the first, second, third, and fourth control modules have the same size.

[0012] In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus further includes a central control unit that controls the operation of the first to third polishing modules and the first to third control modules, the first control module including a first wiring connector electrically connectable to the central control unit and the first polishing module, the second control module including a second wiring connector electrically connectable to the central control unit and the second polishing module, and the third control module including a third wiring connector electrically connectable to the central control unit and the third polishing module. In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus further comprises a fourth polishing module disposed within the housing, a fourth control module removably disposed within the housing and controlling the operation of the fourth polishing module, an abnormality detection system that detects abnormalities occurring in the first to fourth polishing modules, and an overall control unit that controls the operation of the first to fourth polishing modules and the first to fourth control modules, wherein each of the first polishing module and the fourth polishing module is one of a notch polishing module that polishes a notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes a bevel portion of the substrate, a back surface polishing module that polishes a back surface of the substrate, and a device surface polishing module that polishes a device surface of the substrate, and the overall control unit is configured to create a processing flow that uses the fourth polishing module and does not use the first polishing module when the abnormality detection system detects an abnormality in the first polishing module.

[0013] In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus further includes a first control module, a second control module, and a third control module that control the operation of the first polishing module, the second polishing module, and the third polishing module, respectively, and an integrated control unit that controls the operation of the first to third polishing modules and the first to third control modules, wherein the first control module includes a first wiring connector electrically connectable to the integrated control unit and the first polishing module, the second control module includes a second wiring connector electrically connectable to the integrated control unit and the second polishing module, and the third control module includes a third wiring connector electrically connectable to the integrated control unit and the third polishing module. In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus further includes a fourth polishing module, a fourth control module that controls the operation of the fourth polishing module, and an abnormality detection system that detects abnormalities that occur in the first to fourth polishing modules, each of the first polishing module and the fourth polishing module being one of a notch polishing module that polishes a notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes a bevel portion of the substrate, a back surface polishing module that polishes a back surface of the substrate, and a device surface polishing module that polishes a device surface of the substrate, and the overall control unit is configured to control the operation of the first to fourth polishing modules and the first to fourth control modules, and is configured to create a processing flow that uses the fourth polishing module and does not use the first polishing module when the abnormality detection system detects an abnormality in the first polishing module. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the substrate polishing apparatus includes at least three types of polishing modules, namely, a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, a backside polishing module, and a device surface polishing module, and thus can perform polishing using at least three types of polishing modules continuously. This eliminates the need to clean and dry the substrate after each polishing using a polishing module, thereby reducing the overall processing time.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the substrate polishing apparatus can rearrange the types and arrangement of polishing modules depending on the process flow and the polishing time in each polishing module, thereby enabling a single substrate polishing apparatus to handle a variety of polishing processes and achieve an efficient process flow.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the substrate polishing apparatus is provided with a plurality of polishing modules of the same type, and when an abnormality is detected in one of the plurality of polishing modules by the abnormality detection system, the processing flow can be changed to one that does not use the polishing module in which the abnormality was detected, thereby allowing substrate processing to continue without stopping the entire operation of the substrate polishing apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a substrate polishing apparatus. [Figure 2] 2 is a side view of the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow A. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a notch polishing module. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the notch polishing module shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a bevel polishing module. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a back surface polishing module. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow of the substrate polishing apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the substrate polishing apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow before an abnormality is detected. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a process flow changed after an abnormality is detected in the polishing module. [Figure 11]FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment of the substrate polishing apparatus. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a device surface polishing module. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow of the substrate polishing apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 14] 12 is a diagram showing a process flow before an abnormality is detected in the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 15] 12 is a diagram showing a process flow changed after an abnormality is detected in the polishing module 4B in the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing still another embodiment of the substrate polishing apparatus. [Figure 17] 17 is a side view of the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 16, as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow B. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a substrate polishing apparatus. The arrows in FIG. 1 indicate the substrate transport direction. The substrate polishing apparatus includes a housing 1, a load port 2, a polishing module 4A, a polishing module 4B, a polishing module 4C, a polishing module 4D, a first temporary stage 6, a second temporary stage 7, a third temporary stage 8, a cleaning and drying section 9, a first transfer robot 11, a second transfer robot 12, a third transfer robot 13, a fourth transfer robot 14, and a fifth transfer robot 15. The polishing module 4A, the polishing module 4B, the polishing module 4C, the polishing module 4D, the first temporary stage 6, the second temporary stage 7, the third temporary stage 8, the cleaning and drying section 9, the first transfer robot 11, the second transfer robot 12, the third transfer robot 13, the fourth transfer robot 14, and the fifth transfer robot 15 are disposed within the housing 1.

[0019] Substrates to be polished, such as wafers, are stored in a substrate cassette 16, and the substrate cassette 16 is placed on the load port 2. A first transport robot 11 is disposed adjacent to the load port 2. The first transport robot 11 removes the substrate to be polished from the substrate cassette 16 on the load port 2 and places it on the first temporary stage 6.

[0020] The four polishing modules 4A to 4D are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 1. When viewed from above the substrate polishing apparatus, the four polishing modules 4A to 4D are arranged in a straight line. Polishing module 4A is adjacent to polishing module 4B, which is adjacent to polishing modules 4A and 4C, which is adjacent to polishing modules 4B and 4D, and polishing module 4D is adjacent to polishing module 4C. The polishing modules 4A to 4D include three types of polishing modules: a notch polishing module that polishes the notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes the bevel portion of the substrate, and a backside polishing module that polishes the backside of the substrate. The three types of polishing modules included in polishing modules 4A to 4D are polishing modules that polish different regions of the substrate. More specifically, polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B are notch polishing modules, polishing module 4C is a bevel polishing module, and polishing module 4D is a backside polishing module.

[0021] In this embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus includes four polishing modules 4A to 4D, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment as long as the substrate polishing apparatus includes at least three types of polishing modules, including at least three of the four types of polishing modules: a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, a backside polishing module, and a device surface polishing module, each of which polishes a different region of the substrate. For example, the substrate polishing apparatus may include six polishing modules, including two notch polishing modules, two bevel polishing modules, and two backside polishing modules.

[0022] The polishing modules 4A to 4D are detachably arranged within the housing 1. Furthermore, the polishing modules 4A to 4D have the same size. Therefore, the arrangement of the notch polishing module, bevel polishing module, and back surface polishing module that make up the polishing modules 4A to 4D can be changed. For example, the polishing modules 4A and 4B may be bevel polishing modules, the polishing module 4C may be a back surface polishing module, and the polishing module 4D may be a notch polishing module.

[0023] In this embodiment, the notch portion of the substrate is polished by at least one of polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B. Then, the bevel portion of the substrate is polished by polishing module 4C, and the back surface of the substrate is polished by polishing module 4D. This process flow, i.e., the type of polishing module used and the order of operation of the polishing modules, is an example, and the process flow is not limited to this embodiment.

[0024] The first temporary stage 6 is a temporary stage on which a substrate is temporarily placed before the substrate is polished by the polishing modules 4A to 4D. In one embodiment, the first temporary stage 6 may be equipped with a notch aligner (not shown). The notch aligner is a device that detects a notch (cutout) in the substrate and aligns the notch in the substrate to a predetermined position. The specific configuration of the notch aligner is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the notch in the substrate and align the notch in the substrate to a predetermined position.

[0025] The second transport robot 12 is disposed adjacent to the polishing module 4A and the polishing module 4B. The second transport robot 12 removes the substrate from the first temporary stage 6, transports the substrate to the polishing module 4A and / or the polishing module 4B, and receives the substrate from the polishing module 4A and / or the polishing module 4B. Furthermore, the second transport robot 12 places the substrate polished by the polishing module 4A and / or the polishing module 4B on the second temporary stage 7. The second temporary stage 7 is a temporary stage on which the substrate is temporarily placed before being polished by the polishing module 4C.

[0026] The third transport robot 13 is disposed adjacent to the polishing modules 4C and 4D. The third transport robot 13 removes the substrate from the second temporary stage 7, transports the substrate to the polishing module 4C and the polishing module 4D, and receives the substrate from the polishing module 4C and the polishing module 4D. Furthermore, the third transport robot 13 places the substrate polished by the polishing modules 4C and 4D on the third temporary stage 8. The third temporary stage 8 is a temporary stage on which the substrate is temporarily placed before being cleaned and dried in the cleaning and drying unit 9.

[0027] The substrates polished by the polishing modules 4A to 4D are cleaned and dried in the cleaning and drying unit 9. The cleaning and drying unit 9 includes a first cleaning module 17 and a second cleaning module 18 that clean the substrates polished by the polishing modules 4A to 4D, and a drying module 19 that dries the cleaned substrates.

[0028] The first cleaning module 17, the second cleaning module 18, and the drying module 19 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 1. The first cleaning module 17 is configured to perform scrubbing cleaning using a roll-shaped sponge member. The second cleaning module 18 is configured to perform scrubbing cleaning using a pencil-shaped sponge member. In this embodiment, the cleaning and drying unit 9 includes the first cleaning module 17 and the second cleaning module 18, but in another embodiment, the cleaning and drying unit 9 may include either the first cleaning module 17 or the second cleaning module 18.

[0029] The fourth transfer robot 14 is disposed adjacent to the third temporary stage 8, between the first cleaning module 17 and the second cleaning module 18. The fourth transfer robot 14 removes the substrate from the third temporary stage 8 and transports it to the first cleaning module 17 of the cleaning and drying unit 9. The fourth transfer robot 14 also transports the substrate between the first cleaning module 17 and the second cleaning module 18. The fifth transfer robot 15 is disposed between the second cleaning module 18 and the drying module 19. The fifth transfer robot 15 also transports the substrate between the second cleaning module 18 and the drying module 19. The substrates that have been cleaned and dried in the cleaning and drying unit 9 are returned to the substrate cassette 16 of the load port 2 by the first transfer robot 11.

[0030] The substrate polishing apparatus further includes a general control unit 20 electrically connected to the polishing modules 4A to 4D (more specifically, the notch polishing module, the bevel polishing module, and the backside polishing module), the cleaning and drying unit 9, the first transfer robot 11, the second transfer robot 12, the third transfer robot 13, the fourth transfer robot 14, and the fifth transfer robot 15. The general control unit 20 is configured to control the operations of the polishing modules 4A to 4D (more specifically, the notch polishing module, the bevel polishing module, and the backside polishing module), the cleaning and drying unit 9, the first transfer robot 11, the second transfer robot 12, the third transfer robot 13, the fourth transfer robot 14, and the fifth transfer robot 15.

[0031] The integrated control unit 20 includes a storage device 20a that stores information such as the type of polishing module to be used and a program for creating a processing flow that indicates the order in which the polishing modules will operate, and an arithmetic unit 20b that executes calculations in accordance with the program. The storage device 20a includes a main storage device (e.g., random access memory) accessible by the arithmetic unit 20b, and an auxiliary storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive or solid state drive) that stores the program. The arithmetic unit 20b includes a CPU (central processing unit) or GPU (graphics processing module) that executes calculations in accordance with instructions included in the program stored in the storage device 20a.

[0032] The central control unit 20 includes at least one computer. For example, the central control unit 20 may be an edge server connected to the substrate polishing apparatus via a communication line, or a cloud server connected to the substrate polishing apparatus via a network such as the Internet. The central control unit 20 may also be a combination of multiple servers. For example, the central control unit 20 may be a combination of an edge server and a cloud server connected to each other via a communication network such as the Internet or a local area network, or a combination of multiple servers not connected via a communication network. However, the specific configuration of the central control unit 20 is not limited to these examples.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a side view of the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow A. The substrate polishing apparatus further includes four control modules 30A to 30D, which respectively control the operations of the polishing modules 4A to 4D. The control module 30A is configured to control the operation of the polishing module 4A. The control module 30B is configured to control the operation of the polishing module 4B. The control module 30C is configured to control the operation of the polishing module 4C. The control module 30D is configured to control the operation of the polishing module 4D. The control modules 30A to 30D are electrically connected to the central controller 20, and are all controlled by the central controller 20. The control modules 30A to 30D have the same size.

[0034] The control modules 30A to 30D are disposed within the housing 1 and aligned along the longitudinal direction of the housing 1. The four control modules 30A to 30D are aligned in a straight line when viewed from above the substrate polishing apparatus. The control modules 30A to 30D are disposed above the polishing modules 4A to 4D, respectively. Specifically, the control module 30A is disposed above the polishing module 4A, the control module 30B is disposed above the polishing module 4B, the control module 30C is disposed above the polishing module 4C, and the control module 30D is disposed above the polishing module 4D.

[0035] In this embodiment, control module 30A and control module 30B are notch polishing control modules that control the operation of the notch polishing module, control module 30C is a bevel polishing control module that controls the operation of the bevel polishing module, and control module 30D is a back surface polishing control module that controls the operation of the back surface polishing module.

[0036] Control modules 30A to 30D are detachably arranged within housing 1. Control modules 30A to 30D are equipped with wiring connectors 35A to 35D, respectively. Specifically, control module 30A is equipped with wiring connector 35A, control module 30B is equipped with wiring connector 35B, control module 30C is equipped with wiring connector 35C, and control module 30D is equipped with wiring connector 35D.

[0037] The wiring connectors 35A-35D are connected to polishing module wiring 41A-41D for connecting the control modules 30A-30D and the polishing modules 4A-4D, respectively. The wiring connectors 35A-35D are further connected to main body wiring 42A-42D for connecting the control modules 30A-30D and the general controller 20, respectively. The wiring connector 35A is electrically connected to the polishing module 4A via the polishing module wiring 41A and is further electrically connected to the general controller 20 via the main body wiring 42A. The wiring connector 35B is electrically connected to the polishing module 4B via the polishing module wiring 41B and is further electrically connected to the general controller 20 via the main body wiring 42B. The wiring connector 35C is electrically connected to the polishing module 4C via the polishing module wiring 41C and is further electrically connected to the general controller 20 via the main body wiring 42C. The wiring connector 35D is electrically connected to the polishing module 4D via a polishing module wiring 41D, and is further electrically connected to the general control unit 20 via a main body wiring 42D.

[0038] The polishing module wirings 41A-41D are electrically connected to the respective components of the polishing modules 4A-4D (notch polishing module, bevel polishing module, backside polishing module) described later. Therefore, by connecting the polishing module wirings 41A-41D to the wiring connectors 35A-35D, the polishing modules 4A-4D and the control modules 30A-30D can be electrically connected together.

[0039] The main body wiring 42A to 42D are electrically connected to the general control unit 20. Therefore, by connecting the main body wiring 42A to 42D to the wiring connectors 35A to 35D, the general control unit 20 and the control modules 30A to 30D can be electrically connected together.

[0040] With this configuration, when the arrangement of the polishing modules 4A to 4D is rearranged, the control modules 30A to 30D can be easily rearranged together with the corresponding polishing modules 4A to 4D.

[0041] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a notch polishing module. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the notch polishing module shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 4, some parts of the notch polishing module are omitted. The notch polishing module is an apparatus for polishing a notch N formed in the peripheral edge of a substrate W. As shown in Fig. 3, the notch polishing module includes a polishing head 103, a substrate holder 105, a substrate swing unit 110, a polishing tape supply mechanism 120, a liquid supply nozzle 130, a notch detection mechanism 140, a polishing head moving mechanism 150, and a tilt mechanism 170.

[0042] The substrate holding unit 105 holds and rotates the substrate W to be polished. The substrate holding unit 105 includes a holding stage 107 that holds the substrate W by vacuum suction, a first shaft 108 connected to the center of the holding stage 107, and a holding stage drive mechanism 109 that rotates and moves the holding stage 107 up and down. The holding stage drive mechanism 109 is configured to rotate the holding stage 107 about its axis Cr and move it up and down along the axis Cr.

[0043] The substrate W is placed on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 107 by the second transport robot 12 (see FIG. 1) so that the center O1 of the substrate W is positioned on the axis Cr of the holding stage 107. The substrate holder 105 can rotate the substrate W around the axis Cr of the holding stage 107 (i.e., the axis of the substrate W) and can raise and lower the substrate W along the axis Cr of the holding stage 107.

[0044] The substrate swing unit 110 rotates (i.e., swings) the substrate W clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle within a horizontal plane around the notch N of the substrate W. The substrate swing unit 110 includes a swing arm 112 connected to the holding stage drive mechanism 109, a second shaft 113 connected to the swing arm 112, and a swing mechanism 114 that swings the swing arm 112.

[0045] The second shaft 113 extends through the base plate 160. The substrate holder 105 and the second shaft 113 are connected via a swing arm 112. The swing mechanism 114 rotates the second shaft 113 clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle. When the swing mechanism 114 rotates the second shaft 113 clockwise and counterclockwise, the substrate holder 105 also rotates clockwise and counterclockwise. The axis of the first shaft 108 and the axis of the second shaft 113 are offset, and the notch portion N of the substrate W held by the holding stage 107 is located on an extension of the axis of the second shaft 113. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 4, the substrate W on the holding stage 107 is rotated (i.e., swung) by the swing mechanism 114 clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle around the notch portion N in a horizontal plane.

[0046] The polishing tape supply mechanism 120 supplies the polishing tape 102 to the polishing head 103 and recovers it from the polishing head 103. The polishing tape supply mechanism 120 includes a tape unwinding reel 121 that supplies the polishing tape 102 to the polishing head 103, and a tape take-up reel 122 that recovers the polishing tape 102 that has been used to polish the substrate W. Tension motors (not shown) are connected to the tape unwinding reel 121 and the tape take-up reel 122, respectively. The tape unwinding reel 121 and the tape take-up reel 122 are fixed to a reel base 128 via the tension motors. Each tension motor applies a predetermined torque to the tape unwinding reel 121 and the tape take-up reel 122, so that a predetermined tension can be applied to the polishing tape 102.

[0047] The polishing tape supply mechanism 120 further includes a plurality of guide rollers 124, 125, 126, and 127 for supporting the polishing tape 102. The guide rollers 124, 125, 126, and 127 are fixed to a reel base 128. The polishing tape 102 is supplied to the polishing head 103 so that the polishing surface of the polishing tape 102 faces the notch portion N of the substrate W. The traveling direction of the polishing tape 102 is guided by the guide rollers 124, 125, 126, and 127.

[0048] The liquid supply nozzle 130 is configured to supply liquid toward the notch portion N of the substrate W. An example of a liquid supplied to the substrate W is pure water. While the substrate W is being polished, the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply nozzle 130 toward the notch portion N of the substrate W. The liquid supply nozzle 130 is connected to the swing arm 112 of the swing mechanism 114. Therefore, the liquid supply nozzle 130 is rotated (i.e., swung) by the swing mechanism 114 together with the substrate holder 105 by a predetermined angle in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction within a horizontal plane around the notch portion N of the substrate W.

[0049] The notch detection mechanism 140 is configured to detect a notch portion N formed in the substrate W. When the notch detection mechanism 140 detects the notch portion N, the holding stage 107 rotates so that the notch portion N faces the polishing head 103. After the second transfer robot 12 (see FIG. 1) places the substrate W on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 107, the notch detection mechanism 140 detects the notch portion N and aligns it before polishing.

[0050] The polishing head moving mechanism 150 is equipped with a guide rail 154 that extends in the same direction as a line connecting the center of the substrate W on the holding stage 107 and the notch portion N. The guide rail 154 is fixed to a base plate 160. The polishing head 103 and the reel base 128 of the polishing tape supply mechanism 120 are connected to the polishing head moving mechanism 150 via a movable plate 152. The polishing head 103 and the polishing tape supply mechanism 120 as a whole can move integrally with the movable plate 152.

[0051] The polishing head moving mechanism 150 includes an air cylinder 155 connected to the movable plate 152 via a connecting shaft 156. The air cylinder 155 is fixed to a base plate 160. The polishing head moving mechanism 150 drives the air cylinder 155 to move the movable plate 152 along the guide rails 154, thereby moving the polishing head 103 and the polishing tape supply mechanism 120 toward and away from the notch portion N of the substrate W.

[0052] The tilt mechanism 170 is configured to tilt the polishing head 103 relative to the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 107. More specifically, the tilt mechanism 170 includes a crank arm 172 connected to the polishing head 103 and an arm rotation device 173 that rotates the crank arm 172. One end of the crank arm 172 is located at substantially the same height as the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 107 and is connected to the arm rotation device 173. The other end of the crank arm 172 is connected to the polishing head 103.

[0053] When the arm rotation device 173 rotates the crank arm 172, the entire polishing head 103 can be tilted around the notch N of the substrate W on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 107. Furthermore, the tilt mechanism 170 is configured to maintain the polishing head 103 at a predetermined tilt angle. Note that the specific configuration of the tilt mechanism 170 is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, as long as it can tilt the polishing head 103 relative to the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 107 and the substrate W.

[0054] The notch polishing module is electrically connected to a notch polishing control module that controls the operation of each component of the notch polishing module. This notch polishing control module corresponds to the control modules 30A and 30B shown in FIG. 2, and therefore will be referred to as the notch polishing control module 30A in the following description. The substrate holding unit 105, substrate swing unit 110, polishing tape supply mechanism 120, liquid supply nozzle 130, notch detection mechanism 140, polishing head moving mechanism 150, and tilt mechanism 170 are electrically connected to the notch polishing control module 30A. The operation of the substrate holding unit 105, substrate swing unit 110, polishing tape supply mechanism 120, liquid supply nozzle 130, notch detection mechanism 140, polishing head moving mechanism 150, and tilt mechanism 170 is controlled by the notch polishing control module 30A.

[0055] The notch polishing control module 30A includes at least one computer. The notch polishing control module 30A includes a storage device 180a that stores a program and an arithmetic unit 180b that executes calculations in accordance with the program. The storage device 180a includes a main storage device (e.g., random access memory) accessible by the arithmetic unit 180b and an auxiliary storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive or solid state drive) that stores the program. The arithmetic unit 180b includes a CPU (central processing unit) or a GPU (graphics processing module) that executes calculations in accordance with instructions included in the program stored in the storage device 180a. However, the specific configuration of the notch polishing control module 30A is not limited to these examples.

[0056] The notch portion N of the substrate W is polished as follows: When the substrate W is transported to the notch polishing module, the holding stage 107 is raised, and the substrate W is placed on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 107 and held by vacuum suction. In this state, the notch detection mechanism 140 detects the position of the notch portion N of the substrate W, and the substrate holder 105 lowers the substrate W to the polishing position while rotating the holding stage 107 so that the notch portion N faces the polishing head 103. Furthermore, the liquid supply nozzle 130 starts to supply liquid.

[0057] Next, the polishing head moving mechanism 150 moves the polishing head 103 close to the notch portion N of the substrate W, and the polishing head 103 polishes the substrate W by sliding the polishing surface of the polishing tape 102 against the notch portion N. During polishing, the substrate W is swung around the notch portion N by the substrate swing unit 110, and further the tilt mechanism 170 tilts the polishing head 103 around the notch portion N.

[0058] After the substrate W is polished in accordance with a predetermined polishing recipe, the notch polishing control module 30A issues a command to the notch polishing module to terminate polishing of the substrate W. Specifically, the notch polishing control module 30A stops the operation of the substrate swing unit 110 and the tilt mechanism 170, and causes the polishing head moving mechanism 150 to move the polishing head 103 away from the substrate W. Thereafter, the notch polishing control module 30A stops the operation of the substrate holder 105, the polishing tape supply mechanism 120, and the liquid supply nozzle 130, thereby completing polishing of the substrate W.

[0059] The specific configuration of the notch polishing module is not limited to the above-described embodiment, as long as it can polish the notch portion N of the substrate W.

[0060] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a bevel polishing module. The bevel polishing module is an apparatus for polishing the peripheral portion, including the bevel portion B, of a substrate W. As shown in Fig. 5, the bevel polishing module includes a polishing head 203, a substrate holder 205, a polishing tape supply mechanism 220, a lower supply nozzle 231, an upper supply nozzle 232, and a tilt mechanism (not shown).

[0061] The substrate holder 205 holds and rotates the substrate W. The substrate holder 205 includes a holding stage 207, a shaft 208, and a holding stage drive mechanism 209. The holding stage 207, the shaft 208, and the holding stage drive mechanism 209 have the same configurations as the holding stage 107, the first shaft 108, and the holding stage drive mechanism 109 of the notch polishing module described with reference to FIG. 3, and therefore a duplicated description thereof will be omitted.

[0062] The polishing tape supply mechanism 220 supplies the polishing tape 202 to the polishing head 203 and collects it from the polishing head 203. The polishing tape supply mechanism 220 includes a tape supply reel 221, a tape take-up reel 222, and a plurality of guide rollers 224, 225, 226, and 227. The tape supply reel 221, the tape take-up reel 222, and the plurality of guide rollers 224, 225, 226, and 227 are fixed to a reel base 228. The polishing tape 202 is supplied to the polishing head 203 so that the polishing surface of the polishing tape 202 faces the bevel portion B of the substrate W.

[0063] The configurations of the tape supply reel 221, the tape take-up reel 222, and the multiple guide rollers 224, 225, 226, and 227 are similar to those of the tape supply reel 121, the tape take-up reel 122, and the multiple guide rollers 124, 125, 126, and 127 of the notch polishing module described with reference to Figure 3, so duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0064] The lower supply nozzle 231 is configured to supply liquid to the lower surface of the substrate W. The upper supply nozzle 232 is configured to supply liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W. An example of the liquid supplied to the substrate W is pure water. During polishing of the substrate W, the liquid is supplied from the lower supply nozzle 231 to the lower surface of the substrate W, and the liquid is supplied from the upper supply nozzle 232 to the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0065] The polishing head 203 includes a pressing member 242 that presses the polishing surface of the polishing tape 202 against the bevel portion B of the substrate W, and an air cylinder (drive mechanism) 245 that moves the pressing member 242 toward the bevel portion B of the substrate W. The pressing force of the polishing tape 202 against the substrate W is adjusted by controlling the air pressure supplied to the air cylinder 245. The pressing member 242 is disposed on the back side of the polishing tape 202 (the back side of the polishing surface having abrasive grains).

[0066] The tilt mechanism (not shown) has a configuration similar to that of the tilt mechanism 170 of the notch polishing module described with reference to Fig. 4, and therefore a duplicated description thereof will be omitted. The tilt mechanism of the bevel polishing module is configured to tilt the polishing head 203 relative to the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 207.

[0067] The bevel polishing module is electrically connected to a bevel polishing control module that controls the operation of each component of the bevel polishing module. This bevel polishing control module corresponds to the control module 30C shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, in the following description, the bevel polishing control module will be denoted by the reference symbol 30C. The substrate holder 205, polishing tape supply mechanism 220, lower supply nozzle 231, upper supply nozzle 232, air cylinder 245, and tilt mechanism are electrically connected to the bevel polishing control module 30C. The operation of the substrate holder 205, polishing tape supply mechanism 220, lower supply nozzle 231, upper supply nozzle 232, air cylinder 245, and tilt mechanism is controlled by the bevel polishing control module 30C. The bevel polishing control module 30C includes a memory device 280a and an arithmetic unit 280b. The storage device 280a and the arithmetic device 280b have the same basic configuration as the storage device 180a and the arithmetic device 180b of the notch polishing control module 30A described above, and therefore a duplicated description thereof will be omitted.

[0068] The bevel portion B of the substrate W is polished as follows. When the substrate W is transported to the bevel polishing module, the holding stage 207 is raised, and the substrate W is placed on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 207 and held by vacuum suction. The substrate holder 205 lowers the substrate W to the polishing position and rotates the holding stage 207. Furthermore, the supply of liquid from the lower supply nozzle 231 and the upper supply nozzle 232 begins.

[0069] Next, the air cylinder 245 is driven to press the pressing member 242 of the polishing head 203 against the bevel portion B of the substrate W, thereby polishing the bevel portion B of the substrate W. During polishing, the polishing head 203 is tilted relative to the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 207 by the tilt mechanism.

[0070] After the substrate W has been polished in accordance with the predetermined polishing recipe, the bevel polishing control module 30C issues a command to the bevel polishing module to terminate polishing of the substrate W. Specifically, the bevel polishing control module 30C stops the operation of the tilt mechanism and stops driving the air cylinder 245 of the polishing head 203 to move the pressing member 242 away from the substrate W. Thereafter, the bevel polishing control module 30C stops the operation of the substrate holder 205, the polishing tape supply mechanism 220, the lower supply nozzle 231, and the upper supply nozzle 232 to terminate polishing of the substrate W.

[0071] The specific configuration of the bevel polishing module is not limited to the above-described embodiment, as long as it can polish the bevel portion B of the substrate W.

[0072] 6 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a back surface polishing module. The back surface polishing module is an apparatus for polishing the back surface of a substrate W. As shown in FIG. 6, the back surface polishing module includes a polishing head 303, a substrate holder 305, a polishing tape supply mechanism 320, a rinsing liquid supply nozzle 331, a protective liquid supply nozzle 332, and a polishing head moving mechanism 350.

[0073] The substrate holding unit 305 includes a plurality of rollers 308 that can come into contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and a roller rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the plurality of rollers 308 around their respective axes. The polishing head 303 is disposed below the substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 305. In FIG. 6, part of the substrate holding unit 305 is not shown. The substrate holding unit 305 of this embodiment includes four rollers 308 (two of which are not shown).

[0074] In this embodiment, the first surface S1 of the substrate W is the back surface of the substrate W on which no devices have been formed or are not planned to be formed, i.e., the non-device surface. The second surface S2 of the substrate W opposite the first surface S1 is the surface on which devices have been formed or are planned to be formed, i.e., the device surface. In this embodiment, the substrate W is held horizontally by the substrate holder 305 with its first surface S1 facing downward.

[0075] The roller rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the four rollers 308 in the same direction at the same speed. During polishing of the first surface S1 of the substrate W, the peripheral edge of the substrate W is gripped by the rollers 308. The substrate W is held horizontally, and the rotation of the rollers 308 causes the substrate W to rotate about its axis. During polishing of the first surface S1 of the substrate W, the four rollers 308 rotate about their respective axis, but the rollers 308 themselves remain stationary.

[0076] The polishing tape supply mechanism 320 supplies the polishing tape 302 to the polishing head 303 and recovers it from the polishing head 303. The polishing tape supply mechanism 320 includes a tape supply reel 321 that supplies the polishing tape 302 to the polishing head 303, and a tape take-up reel 322 that recovers the polishing tape 302 used to polish the substrate W. Tension motors (not shown) are connected to the tape supply reel 321 and the tape take-up reel 322, respectively. The tape supply reel 321 and the tape take-up reel 322 are fixed to a reel base 328 via the tension motors, and the reel base 328 is fixed to a movable plate 340. Each tension motor applies a predetermined torque to the tape supply reel 321 and the tape take-up reel 322, so that a predetermined tension can be applied to the polishing tape 302.

[0077] The polishing tape supply mechanism 320 further includes a plurality of guide rollers 324, 325, 326, and 327 for supporting the polishing tape 302. The polishing tape 302 is supplied to the polishing head 303 so that the polishing surface of the polishing tape 302 faces the first surface S1 of the substrate W. The guide rollers 324, 325, 326, and 327 are fixed to a holding member (not shown), which is fixed to a movable plate 340. The polishing tape 302 is guided in its traveling direction by the guide rollers 324, 325, 326, and 327 so as to surround the polishing head 303. More specifically, the guide rollers 325 and 326 disposed above the polishing head 303 guide the polishing tape 302 so that the polishing tape 302 travels in a direction parallel to the first surface S1 of the substrate W.

[0078] The rinsing liquid supply nozzle 331 is disposed below the substrate W held by the substrate holder 305, and is configured to supply a rinsing liquid toward a processing point on the first surface S1 of the substrate W. Examples of rinsing liquids supplied to the first surface S1 of the substrate W include pure water and alkaline chemical liquids. The protective liquid supply nozzle 332 is disposed above the substrate W held by the substrate holder 305, and is configured to supply a protective liquid to the second surface S2 of the substrate W. An example of a protective liquid supplied to the second surface S2 of the substrate W is pure water.

[0079] The polishing head moving mechanism 350 is configured to move the polishing head 303 between the center O1 of the first surface S1 of the substrate W and the outermost portion of the first surface S1. The polishing head moving mechanism 350 is provided with a plurality of linear guides 355 on the lower surface of the movable plate 340, and the movable plate 340 is supported by the plurality of linear guides 355. The plurality of linear guides 355 are arranged on a base plate 360. The linear guides 355 limit the movement of the movable plate 340 to linear movement in the radial direction of the substrate W.

[0080] The polishing head 303, the reel base 328 of the polishing tape supply mechanism 320, and the holding member to which the guide rollers 324, 325, 326, and 327 are fixed are connected to a polishing head moving mechanism 350 via a movable plate 340. The polishing head 303 and the polishing tape supply mechanism 320 as a whole can move integrally with the movable plate 340.

[0081] The polishing head moving mechanism 350 includes a ball screw mechanism 352 connected to the movable plate 340. The ball screw mechanism 352 is fixed to a base plate 360. The polishing head moving mechanism 350 drives the ball screw mechanism 352 to move the polishing head 303 and the polishing tape supply mechanism 320 in the radial direction of the substrate W relative to the substrate holder 305. During polishing of the substrate W, the polishing head moving mechanism 350 moves the polishing head 303 between the center O1 of the first surface S1 of the substrate W and the outermost part of the first surface S1.

[0082] The polishing head 303 is supported by a support member 343, which is fixed to the movable plate 340. Therefore, the entire polishing head 303 can move integrally with the movable plate 340. The support member 343 has through holes (not shown), and the polishing tape 302 extends through the through holes. The polishing head 303 includes a pressing member 342 that presses the polishing surface of the polishing tape 302 against the first surface S1 of the substrate W, and an air cylinder (drive mechanism) 345 that moves the pressing member 342 toward the first surface S1 of the substrate W. The pressing force of the polishing tape 302 against the substrate W is adjusted by controlling the air pressure supplied to the air cylinder 345. The pressing member 342 is disposed on the back side of the polishing tape 302 (the back side of the polishing surface having abrasive grains).

[0083] The backside polishing module is electrically connected to a backside polishing control module that controls the operation of each component of the backside polishing module. This backside polishing control module corresponds to the control module 30D shown in FIG. 2, and therefore, in the following description, the backside polishing control module will be denoted by the reference symbol 30D. The substrate holder 305, the polishing tape supply mechanism 320, the rinsing liquid supply nozzle 331, the protective liquid supply nozzle 332, the polishing head moving mechanism 350, and the air cylinder 345 of the polishing head 303 are electrically connected to the backside polishing control module 30D. The operations of the substrate holder 305, the polishing tape supply mechanism 320, the rinsing liquid supply nozzle 331, the protective liquid supply nozzle 332, the polishing head moving mechanism 350, and the air cylinder 345 of the polishing head 303 are controlled by the backside polishing control module 30D. The backside polishing control module 30D includes a memory device 380a and an arithmetic unit 380b. The storage device 380a and the arithmetic device 380b have the same basic configuration as the storage device 180a and the arithmetic device 180b of the notch polishing control module 30A described above, and therefore a duplicated description thereof will be omitted.

[0084] The first surface S1 of the substrate W is polished as follows: When the substrate W is transported to the back surface polishing module by the third transport robot 13 (see FIG. 1), the substrate holder 305 holds the substrate W with the first surface S1 facing downward by the rollers 308 and rotates the substrate W about its axis. Then, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 331 starts to supply a rinse liquid to the first surface S1 of the substrate W, and the protective liquid supply nozzle 332 starts to supply a protective liquid to the second surface S2 of the substrate W.

[0085] Next, the polishing head moving mechanism 350 moves the polishing head 303 to a position below the center O1 of the first surface S1 of the substrate W. While the polishing head moving mechanism 350 moves the polishing head 303 and the polishing tape supply mechanism 320 radially outward from the substrate W, the air cylinder 345 is driven to press the pressing member 342 of the polishing head 303 against the first surface S1 of the substrate W, thereby polishing the first surface S1 of the substrate W.

[0086] When the polishing head 303 reaches the outermost portion of the first side S1 of the substrate W, the backside polishing control module 30D issues a command to the backside polishing module to terminate polishing of the substrate W. Specifically, the backside polishing control module 30D stops the operation of the polishing head moving mechanism 350, stops driving the air cylinder 345 of the polishing head 303 to lower the pressing member 342, and separates the polishing tape 302 from the first side S1 of the substrate W. Thereafter, the backside polishing control module 30D stops the operations of the substrate holder 305, the polishing tape supply mechanism 320, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 331, and the protection liquid supply nozzle 332 to terminate polishing of the substrate W. In one embodiment, the polishing head moving mechanism 350 may reciprocate the polishing head 303 between the outermost portion of the first side S1 of the substrate W and the center O1.

[0087] The specific configuration of the back surface polishing module is not limited to the above-described embodiment, as long as it can polish the back surface (first surface S1) of the substrate W.

[0088] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow of the substrate polishing apparatus according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the notch portion N of the substrate W is polished by polishing module 4A or polishing module 4B, which is a notch polishing module, the bevel portion B of the substrate W is polished by polishing module 4C, which is a bevel polishing module, and the back surface (first surface S1) of the substrate W is polished by polishing module 4D, which is a back surface polishing module. The polished substrate W is cleaned by first cleaning module 17, and then further cleaned by second cleaning module 18, and then dried by drying module 19.

[0089] If the polishing time by each polishing module is expressed in time units T, the polishing time for the notch portion N by the notch polishing module is 2T (twice the time unit T), the polishing time for the bevel portion B by the bevel polishing module is 1T, and the polishing time for the back surface by the back surface polishing module is 1T. In addition, the cleaning time by the first cleaning module 17 and the second cleaning module 18, and the drying time by the drying module 19 are each 1T.

[0090] 7 shows the processing flow for the first substrate W1 to be processed first and the second substrate W2 to be processed next. Time indicates the time elapsed from the start of polishing the first substrate W1. In step S101, from time 0 to time 2T, the notch portion N of the first substrate W1 is polished in the polishing module 4A (ie, the notch polishing module). In step S102, from time 2T to time 3T, the bevel portion B of the first substrate W1 is polished in the polishing module 4C (ie, the bevel polishing module). In step S103, from time 3T to time 4T, the back surface (first surface S1) of the first substrate W1 is polished in the polishing module 4D (that is, the back surface polishing module). In step S104, the polished first substrate W1 is cleaned in the first cleaning module 17 from time 4T to time 5T. In step S105, the first substrate W1 cleaned by the first cleaning module 17 is cleaned in the second cleaning module 18 from time 5T to time 6T. In step S106, the first substrate W1 cleaned by the second cleaning module 18 is dried in the drying module 19 from time 6T to time 7T.

[0091] In step S107, from time 1T to time 3T, the notch portion N of the second substrate W2 is polished in the polishing module 4B (ie, the notch polishing module). In step S108, from time 3T to time 4T, the bevel portion B of the second substrate W2 is polished in the polishing module 4C (ie, the bevel polishing module). In step S109, from time 4T to time 5T, the back surface (first surface S1) of the second substrate W2 is polished in the polishing module 4D (that is, the back surface polishing module). In step S110, the polished second substrate W2 is cleaned in the first cleaning module 17 from time 5T to time 6T. In step S111, the second substrate W2 cleaned by the first cleaning module 17 is cleaned in the second cleaning module 18 from time 6T to time 7T. In step S112, the second substrate W2 cleaned by the second cleaning module 18 is dried in the drying module 19 from time 7T to time 8T.

[0092] According to this embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus includes a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a back surface polishing module in the same housing 1, so polishing can be performed continuously using different types of polishing modules. Therefore, there is no need to clean and dry the substrate W each time polishing by each polishing module is completed, and the overall processing time can be shortened.

[0093] The substrate polishing apparatus is equipped with polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B, which are notch polishing modules that require longer polishing times than other processes. Therefore, the notch portions N of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 can be polished in parallel in polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B. Therefore, in the next bevel polishing module, there is no idle time, and the second substrate W2 can be polished immediately after the first substrate W1 is polished. This shortens the overall processing time when processing multiple substrates.

[0094] The above-described processing flow is an example, and in one embodiment, the processing flow may include polishing the bevel portion B by polishing module 4C, which is a bevel polishing module, followed by polishing the back surface (first surface S1) by polishing module 4D, which is a back surface polishing module, and then polishing the notch portion N of the substrate W by polishing module 4A or polishing module 4B, which is a notch polishing module.

[0095] The substrate polishing apparatus can rearrange the types and arrangement of the polishing modules 4A-4D depending on the process flow and the polishing time for each polishing module. Therefore, a single substrate polishing apparatus can accommodate a variety of polishing processes, achieving an efficient process flow. In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus may include two first cleaning modules 17, two second cleaning modules 18, and two drying modules 19. For example, the substrate polishing apparatus may concurrently clean and dry multiple substrates polished by the polishing modules 4A-4D using the two first cleaning modules 17, two second cleaning modules 18, and two drying modules 19.

[0096] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the substrate polishing apparatus. Details of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 7, so duplicated descriptions will be omitted. Control modules 30A to 30D of the substrate polishing apparatus shown in Fig. 8 are equipped with abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D that detect abnormalities that occur in the corresponding polishing modules 4A to 4D.

[0097] These anomaly detection systems 50A-50D can detect anomalies based on various signals acquired from the polishing modules 4A-4D. Anomaly detection systems equipped with known anomaly detection means can be used as such anomaly detection systems 50A-50D. While one anomaly detection system 50A-50D is provided for each of the polishing modules 4A-4D in this embodiment, in another embodiment, one anomaly detection system may be provided in the integrated control unit 20 and configured to detect anomalies in the polishing modules 4A-4D.

[0098] The abnormality detection system 50A is configured to detect an abnormality that occurs in the polishing module 4A, whose operation is controlled by the control module 30A. The abnormality detection system 50B is configured to detect an abnormality that occurs in the polishing module 4B, whose operation is controlled by the control module 30B. The abnormality detection system 50C is configured to detect an abnormality that occurs in the polishing module 4C, whose operation is controlled by the control module 30C. The abnormality detection system 50D is configured to detect an abnormality that occurs in the polishing module 4D, whose operation is controlled by the control module 30D.

[0099] When an abnormality in one of the polishing modules 4A to 4D is detected by the abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D, the control modules 30A to 30D send an abnormality detection signal to the general control unit 20. If the polishing module in which the abnormality is detected is a type in which multiple polishing modules are provided, the general control unit 20 is configured to create a processing flow that does not use the polishing module in which the abnormality is detected.

[0100] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the process flow before an abnormality is detected. As in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 7, polishing of the notch portions N of multiple substrates is performed in parallel by two notch polishing modules, polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a process flow changed after an abnormality in polishing module 4B is detected. When an abnormality in polishing module 4B is detected by the abnormality detection system 50B, the control module 30B sends an abnormality detection signal to the general controller 20. Based on the abnormality detection signal, the general controller 20 creates a process flow that does not use polishing module 4B and changes the process flow of FIG. 9, which uses both polishing modules 4A and 4B, to the process flow of FIG. 10, which uses polishing module 4A but not polishing module 4B.

[0101] In this embodiment, the type of polishing module 4B in which the abnormality was detected is a notch polishing module, which is provided in multiple units. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the polishing module 4B, the processing flow is changed to polishing the notch portion N using only the polishing module 4A, so that substrate processing can be continued without stopping the operation of the entire substrate polishing apparatus.

[0102] While the substrate polishing apparatus of this embodiment is provided with two notch polishing modules, in another embodiment, three or more notch polishing modules are provided, and when the anomaly detection system detects an abnormality in at least one of the three or more notch polishing modules, the central control unit 20 may change the process flow to one that does not use at least one notch polishing module in which the abnormality was detected. Also, in another embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus is provided with multiple bevel polishing modules or back surface polishing modules, and when the anomaly detection system detects an abnormality in one of the multiple bevel polishing modules or back surface polishing modules, the central control unit 20 may change the process flow to one that does not use the bevel polishing module or back surface polishing module in which the abnormality was detected.

[0103] The substrate polishing apparatus described above includes three types of polishing modules: a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a backside polishing module. However, the configuration of the substrate polishing apparatus is not limited to these types of polishing modules. For example, the polishing module may be a polishing module that uses a grinding wheel instead of a polishing tape as a polishing tool, or a polishing module (CMP module) that uses a polishing pad (e.g., nonwoven fabric) as a polishing tool in the presence of a polishing liquid (slurry).

[0104] 11 is a schematic diagram showing yet another embodiment of the substrate polishing apparatus. The configuration and operation of this embodiment, which are not specifically described, are similar to those of the above-described embodiment, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. In this embodiment, polishing modules 4A and 4B are device surface polishing modules that polish the device surface of the substrate instead of notch polishing modules. In this embodiment, control modules 30A and 30B are device surface polishing control modules that control the operation of the device surface polishing modules.

[0105] The polishing modules 4A to 4D are detachably arranged within the housing 1. Furthermore, the polishing modules 4A to 4D have the same size. Therefore, the arrangement of the device surface polishing module, bevel polishing module, and back surface polishing module that make up the polishing modules 4A to 4D can be changed. For example, the polishing modules 4A and 4B may be bevel polishing modules, the polishing module 4C may be a back surface polishing module, and the polishing module 4D may be a device surface polishing module.

[0106] In this embodiment, the device side of the substrate is polished by at least one of polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B. Then, the bevel portion of the substrate is polished by polishing module 4C, and then the back surface of the substrate is polished by polishing module 4D. This process flow, i.e., the type of polishing module used and the order in which the polishing modules operate, are merely examples, and the process flow is not limited to this embodiment.

[0107] Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a device surface polishing module. The device surface polishing module is an apparatus for polishing the device surface of a substrate W. As shown in Fig. 12, the device surface polishing module includes a buff table 403, a buff head 405, a liquid supply nozzle 410, a table motor 415, a buff head shaft 418, a support shaft 420, and a buff arm 421.

[0108] The buff table 403 is configured to hold the substrate W with the device side facing upward. In this embodiment, the first side S1 of the substrate W is the back side of the substrate W on which no devices have been formed or are not planned to be formed, i.e., the non-device side. The second side S2 of the substrate W opposite the first side S1 is the side on which devices have been formed or are planned to be formed, i.e., the device side. In this embodiment, the substrate W is held horizontally on the buff table 403 with its second side S2 facing upward.

[0109] The buff table 403 is connected to a table motor 415 disposed below the buff table 403 via a table shaft 403a. The table motor 415 is configured to rotate the buff table 403 and the substrate W around the table shaft 403a in the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG.

[0110] The buff head 405 is configured to hold a buff pad 401 on its underside. As shown in FIG. 12, the diameter of the buff pad 401 is smaller than the diameter of the substrate W. The underside of the buff pad 401 forms a polishing surface 401a that polishes the substrate W. The buff head 405 is fixed to the lower end of a buff head shaft 418 and is rotatable together with the buff head shaft 418. The buff head shaft 418 is connected to a buff arm 421 and is connected to a head rotation mechanism (not shown) that is disposed within the buff arm 421. The head rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the buff head shaft 418 and the buff head 405 in the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 12.

[0111] The buff head shaft 418 is connected to a head up-down movement mechanism (not shown) that is arranged inside the buff arm 421. The head up-down movement mechanism is configured to move the buff head shaft 418 and the buff head 405 up and down relative to the buff arm 421. The buff arm 421 is connected to the upper end of a support shaft 420, and is connected to an arm rotation mechanism (not shown) that is arranged inside the support shaft 420. The arm rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the buff arm 421 around the support shaft 420. By rotating the buff arm 421, the buff head shaft 418 and the buff head 405 can be moved between above the buff table 403 and outside the buff table 403.

[0112] The liquid supply nozzle 410 is disposed above the buffing table 403. The liquid supply nozzle 410 is configured to supply a liquid toward the second surface S2 of the substrate W held on the buffing table 403. Examples of the liquid that may be supplied to the second surface S2 of the substrate W include pure water and a chemical liquid (e.g., a slurry).

[0113] The device surface polishing module is electrically connected to a device surface polishing control module that controls the operation of each component of the device surface polishing module. This device surface polishing control module corresponds to the control modules 30A and 30B shown in FIG. 11 , and therefore, in the following description, the device surface polishing control module will be denoted by the reference symbol 30A. The table motor 415, head rotation mechanism, head up / down movement mechanism, arm rotation mechanism, and liquid supply nozzle 410 are electrically connected to the device surface polishing control module 30A. The operation of the table motor 415, head rotation mechanism, head up / down movement mechanism, arm rotation mechanism, and liquid supply nozzle 410 is controlled by the device surface polishing control module 30A. The device surface polishing control module 30A includes a memory device 480a and an arithmetic unit 480b. The memory device 480a and the arithmetic unit 480b have the same basic configuration as the memory device 180a and the arithmetic unit 180b of the notch polishing control module 30A described above, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted.

[0114] The second surface S2 of the substrate W is polished as follows. When the substrate W is transported to the device surface polishing module, the buff table 403 holds the substrate W with its second surface S2 facing upward. The table motor 415 rotates the substrate W held on the buff table 403 about the table axis 403a. Furthermore, the liquid supply nozzle 410 starts to supply a liquid (e.g., slurry) toward the second surface S2 of the substrate W. In this state, the buff pad 401 held by the buff head 405 has its polishing surface 401a pressed against the second surface S2 of the substrate W by the head up-down movement mechanism, thereby polishing the second surface S2 of the substrate W.

[0115] After the second surface S2 of the substrate W is polished in accordance with the predetermined polishing recipe, the device surface polishing control module 30A issues a command to the device surface polishing module to terminate polishing of the substrate W. Specifically, the device surface polishing control module 30A issues a command to the head up-down movement mechanism to move the buff head 405 away from the substrate W. Thereafter, the device surface polishing control module 30A stops the operation of the table motor 415 and the liquid supply nozzle 410 to terminate polishing of the substrate W.

[0116] The specific configuration of the device surface polishing module is not limited to the above-described embodiment, as long as it can polish the device surface (second surface S2) of the substrate W.

[0117] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow of the substrate polishing apparatus according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the device surface (second surface S2) of the substrate W is polished by polishing module 4A or polishing module 4B, which is a device surface polishing module, the bevel portion B of the substrate W is polished by polishing module 4C, which is a bevel polishing module, and the back surface (first surface S1) of the substrate W is polished by polishing module 4D, which is a back surface polishing module. The polished substrate W is cleaned by first cleaning module 17, and then further cleaned by second cleaning module 18, and then dried by drying module 19.

[0118] If the polishing time by each polishing module is expressed in time units T, the polishing time of the device surface by the device surface polishing module is 2T (twice the time unit T), the polishing time of the bevel portion B by the bevel polishing module is 1T, and the polishing time of the back surface by the back surface polishing module is 1T. In addition, the cleaning time by the first cleaning module 17 and the second cleaning module 18, and the drying time by the drying module 19 are each 1T.

[0119] 13 shows a processing flow for the first substrate W1 to be processed first and the second substrate W2 to be processed next. Time indicates the time elapsed from the start of polishing the first substrate W1. In step S201, from time 0 to time 2T, the device surface (second surface S2) of the first substrate W1 is polished in the polishing module 4A (ie, the device surface polishing module). In step S202, from time 2T to time 3T, the bevel portion B of the first substrate W1 is polished in the polishing module 4C (ie, the bevel polishing module). In step S203, from time 3T to time 4T, the back surface (first surface S1) of the first substrate W1 is polished in the polishing module 4D (that is, the back surface polishing module). In step S204, the polished first substrate W1 is cleaned in the first cleaning module 17 from time 4T to time 5T. In step S205, the first substrate W1 cleaned by the first cleaning module 17 is cleaned in the second cleaning module 18 from time 5T to time 6T. In step S206, the first substrate W1 cleaned by the second cleaning module 18 is dried in the drying module 19 from time 6T to time 7T.

[0120] In step S207, from time 1T to time 3T, the device surface (second surface S2) of the second substrate W2 is polished in the polishing module 4B (ie, the device surface polishing module). In step S208, from time 3T to time 4T, the bevel portion B of the second substrate W2 is polished in the polishing module 4C (ie, the bevel polishing module). In step S209, from time 4T to time 5T, the back surface (first surface S1) of the second substrate W2 is polished in the polishing module 4D (that is, the back surface polishing module). In step S210, the polished second substrate W2 is cleaned in the first cleaning module 17 from time 5T to time 6T. In step S211, the second substrate W2 cleaned by the first cleaning module 17 is cleaned in the second cleaning module 18 from time 6T to time 7T. In step S212, the second substrate W2 cleaned by the second cleaning module 18 is dried in the drying module 19 from time 7T to time 8T.

[0121] According to this embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus includes a device surface polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a back surface polishing module, so that polishing can be performed continuously using different types of polishing modules. Therefore, it is not necessary to clean and dry the substrate W after each polishing in each polishing module, and the overall processing time can be shortened.

[0122] The substrate polishing apparatus is equipped with polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B, which are device surface polishing modules that require longer polishing times than other processes. Therefore, the device surfaces (second surfaces S2) of the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 can be polished in parallel in polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B. Therefore, in the next bevel polishing module, the second substrate W2 can be polished immediately after the first substrate W1 has been polished, without any idle time. This shortens the overall processing time when processing multiple substrates.

[0123] The above-described processing flow is an example, and in one embodiment, the processing flow may include polishing the bevel portion B by polishing module 4C, which is a bevel polishing module, followed by polishing the back surface (first surface S1) by polishing module 4D, which is a back surface polishing module, and then polishing the device surface (second surface S2) of the substrate W by polishing module 4A or polishing module 4B, which is a device surface polishing module.

[0124] As shown in Fig. 11, the control modules 30A to 30D of this embodiment are equipped with abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D that detect abnormalities that occur in the corresponding polishing modules 4A to 4D. The configurations of the abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D are basically the same as the configurations of the abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D described with reference to Fig. 8, and therefore, redundant description thereof will be omitted. In one embodiment, the control modules 30A to 30D may not be equipped with the abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D.

[0125] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a process flow before an abnormality is detected in the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 11. As in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 13, polishing of the device surfaces of multiple substrates is performed in parallel by two device surface polishing modules, polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a process flow changed after an abnormality is detected in polishing module 4B in the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 11. When an abnormality in polishing module 4B is detected by the abnormality detection system 50B, the control module 30B sends an abnormality detection signal to the general control unit 20. Based on the abnormality detection signal, the general control unit 20 creates a process flow that does not use polishing module 4B and changes the process flow of FIG. 14, which uses both polishing modules 4A and 4B, to the process flow of FIG. 15, which uses polishing module 4A but not polishing module 4B.

[0126] According to this embodiment, the type of polishing module 4B in which the abnormality was detected is a device surface polishing module, which is provided in multiple units. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the polishing module 4B, the process flow is changed to polishing the device surface of the substrate using only the polishing module 4A, so that the substrate processing can be continued without stopping the operation of the entire substrate polishing apparatus.

[0127] While the substrate polishing apparatus of this embodiment is provided with two device surface polishing modules, in another embodiment, it is provided with three or more device surface polishing modules, and when the anomaly detection system detects an abnormality in at least one of the three or more device surface polishing modules, the general control unit 20 may change the process flow to one that does not use at least one device surface polishing module in which the abnormality was detected. Also, in another embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus is provided with multiple bevel polishing modules or backside polishing modules, and when the anomaly detection system detects an abnormality in one of the multiple bevel polishing modules or backside polishing modules, the general control unit 20 may change the process flow to one that does not use the bevel polishing module or backside polishing module in which the abnormality was detected.

[0128] 11 to 15, the substrate polishing apparatus includes three types of polishing modules: a device surface polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a back surface polishing module. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment as long as the substrate polishing apparatus includes at least three types of polishing modules among the four types of polishing modules: a device surface polishing module, a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a back surface polishing module. For example, the substrate polishing apparatus may include three types of polishing modules: a device surface polishing module, a notch polishing module, and a bevel polishing module. In another example, the substrate polishing apparatus may include four types of polishing modules: a device surface polishing module, a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a back surface polishing module.

[0129] Although the substrate polishing apparatus in this embodiment includes four polishing modules 4A to 4D, the number of polishing modules is not limited to this embodiment as long as the substrate polishing apparatus includes at least three of the four types of polishing modules: a device surface polishing module, a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a back surface polishing module. For example, the substrate polishing apparatus may include six polishing modules, including four types of polishing modules: two device surface polishing modules, two notch polishing modules, one bevel polishing module, and one back surface polishing module.

[0130] In one embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus is provided with a plurality of polishing modules of two or more types selected from a device surface polishing module, a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, and a backside polishing module, and when an abnormality is detected in any of the plurality of polishing modules, the general control unit 20 may change the process flow to one that does not use the polishing module of the type in which the abnormality was detected. For example, the substrate polishing apparatus is provided with six polishing modules, including four types of polishing modules: two device surface polishing modules, two notch polishing modules, one bevel polishing module, and one backside polishing module, and when an abnormality is detected in any of the device surface polishing modules or the notch polishing module, the general control unit 20 may change the process flow to one that does not use the device surface polishing module or the notch polishing module in which the abnormality was detected.

[0131] FIG. 16 is a plan view showing yet another embodiment of the substrate polishing apparatus, and FIG. 17 is a side view of the substrate polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 16, as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow B. The configuration and operation of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, are similar to those of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. The substrate polishing apparatus of this embodiment does not include the housing 1 described above. At least a portion of each of the four polishing modules 4A to 4D is exposed to the outside of the substrate polishing apparatus. The four polishing modules 4A to 4D are arranged in a straight line when viewed from above the substrate polishing apparatus. Polishing module 4A is adjacent to polishing module 4B, polishing module 4B is adjacent to polishing modules 4A and 4C, polishing module 4C is adjacent to polishing modules 4B and 4D, and polishing module 4D is adjacent to polishing module 4C.

[0132] The polishing modules 4A to 4D of this embodiment include three types of polishing modules: a notch polishing module that polishes the notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes the bevel portion of the substrate, and a back surface polishing module that polishes the back surface of the substrate. The three types of polishing modules included in the polishing modules 4A to 4D are polishing modules that polish different regions of the substrate. More specifically, polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B are notch polishing modules, polishing module 4C is a bevel polishing module, and polishing module 4D is a back surface polishing module.

[0133] In this embodiment, the substrate polishing apparatus includes four polishing modules 4A to 4D, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment as long as the substrate polishing apparatus includes at least three types of polishing modules, including at least three of the four types of polishing modules: a notch polishing module, a bevel polishing module, a backside polishing module, and a device side polishing module, each of which polishes a different region of the substrate. For example, the substrate polishing apparatus may include six polishing modules, including four types of polishing modules: two notch polishing modules, two device side polishing modules, one bevel polishing module, and one backside polishing module.

[0134] The polishing modules 4A to 4D are the same size. Therefore, the arrangement of the notch polishing module, bevel polishing module, and backside polishing module that make up the polishing modules 4A to 4D can be changed. For example, the polishing modules 4A and 4B may be bevel polishing modules, the polishing module 4C may be a backside polishing module, and the polishing module 4D may be a notch polishing module.

[0135] In this embodiment, the notch portion of the substrate is polished by at least one of polishing module 4A and polishing module 4B. Then, the bevel portion of the substrate is polished by polishing module 4C, and the back surface of the substrate is polished by polishing module 4D. This process flow, i.e., the type of polishing module used and the order of operation of the polishing modules, is an example, and the process flow is not limited to this embodiment.

[0136] The substrate polishing apparatus includes four control modules 30A to 30D that respectively control the operations of the polishing modules 4A to 4D. The four control modules 30A to 30D are arranged in a straight line when viewed from above the substrate polishing apparatus. The control modules 30A to 30D are respectively arranged above the polishing modules 4A to 4D. Specifically, the control module 30A is arranged above the polishing module 4A, the control module 30B is arranged above the polishing module 4B, the control module 30C is arranged above the polishing module 4C, and the control module 30D is arranged above the polishing module 4D.

[0137] In this embodiment, control module 30A and control module 30B are notch polishing control modules that control the operation of the notch polishing module, control module 30C is a bevel polishing control module that controls the operation of the bevel polishing module, and control module 30D is a back surface polishing control module that controls the operation of the back surface polishing module.

[0138] The control modules 30A to 30D are equipped with wiring connectors 35A to 35D, respectively. Specifically, the control module 30A is equipped with a wiring connector 35A electrically connectable to the general control unit 20 and the polishing module 4A, the control module 30B is equipped with a wiring connector 35B electrically connectable to the general control unit 20 and the polishing module 4B, the control module 30C is equipped with a wiring connector 35C electrically connectable to the general control unit 20 and the polishing module 4C, and the control module 30D is equipped with a wiring connector 35D electrically connectable to the general control unit 20 and the polishing module 4D.

[0139] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, when the arrangement of the polishing modules 4A to 4D is rearranged, the control modules 30A to 30D can be easily rearranged together with the corresponding polishing modules 4A to 4D.

[0140] As shown in Fig. 17, the control modules 30A to 30D of this embodiment are equipped with abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D that detect abnormalities that occur in the corresponding polishing modules 4A to 4D. The configurations and operations of the abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D are similar to those of the abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D described with reference to Figs. 8 to 10, and therefore, redundant description thereof will be omitted. In one embodiment, the control modules 30A to 30D may not be equipped with the abnormality detection systems 50A to 50D.

[0141] In the substrate polishing apparatus shown in Figures 16 and 17, when an abnormality occurs in one of the polishing modules 4A, 4B, the processing flow is changed to use only the other polishing module 4A, 4B in which no abnormality has occurred, thereby allowing substrate processing to continue without stopping the operation of the entire substrate polishing apparatus.

[0142] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments would be obvious to a person skilled in the art, and the technical concept of the present invention may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope in accordance with the technical concept defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1. Housing 2 Loading port 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D Polishing Module 6. Temporary storage table No. 1 7 Second temporary storage stand 8. Temporary storage table No. 3 9 Washing and drying section 11 First transport robot 12 Second transport robot 13 Third transport robot 14 Fourth Transport Robot 15 5th Transport Robot 16 PCB cassette 17 First Cleaning Module 18 Second Cleaning Module 19 Drying Module 20 General Control Unit 20a Storage device 20b Arithmetic unit 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D control modules 35A Wiring Connector 35B Wiring Connector 35C Wiring Connector 35D Wiring Connector 41A, 41B, 41C, 41D Polishing module wiring 42A, 42B, 42C, 42D Main body wiring 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D Anomaly Detection System 102 Polishing tape 103 Polishing head 105 Board holding part 107 Holding Stage 108 First Shaft 109 Holding stage drive mechanism 110 Board swing part 112 Swingarm 113 Second Shaft 114 Swing mechanism 120 Polishing tape supply mechanism 121 Tape unwinding reel 122 Tape take-up reel 124,125,126,127 Guide rollers 128 Reelbase 130 Liquid supply nozzle 140 Notch detection mechanism 150 Polishing head movement mechanism 152 Movable Plate 154 Guide Rail 155 Air Cylinder 156 Connecting shaft 160 base plate 170 Tilt mechanism 172 crank arm 173 Arm Rotation Device 202 Polishing tape 203 Polishing Head 205 Board holding part 207 Holding Stage 208 Shaft 209 Holding stage drive mechanism 220 Polishing tape supply mechanism 221 Tape unwinding reel 222 Tape take-up reel 224, 225, 226, 227 Guide rollers 228 Reelbase 231 Lower supply nozzle 232 Upper supply nozzle 242 Pressing member 245 Air cylinder (drive mechanism) 302 Polishing tape 303 Polishing Head 305 Board holding part 308 Roller 320 Polishing tape supply mechanism 321 Tape unwinding reel 322 Tape take-up reel 324, 325, 326, 327 Guide rollers 331 Rinse liquid supply nozzle 332 Protective liquid supply nozzle 340 Movable Plate 342 Pressing member 343 Supporting member 345 Air cylinder (drive mechanism) 350 Polishing head movement mechanism 352 Ball screw mechanism 355 Linear guide 360 Base Plate 401 Buffing Pad 403 Buffing Table 403a Table axis 405 Buff Head 410 Liquid supply nozzle 415 Table Motor 418 Buff Head Shaft 420 Spindle 421 Buff Arm

Claims

1. a first polishing module, a second polishing module, a third polishing module, and a fourth polishing module; an abnormality detection system that detects an abnormality occurring in the first to fourth polishing modules; a general control unit that controls operations of the first to fourth polishing modules, the first polishing module and the fourth polishing module are polishing modules that polish the same region of the substrate, The substrate polishing apparatus, wherein the integrated control unit is configured to create a processing flow that uses the fourth polishing module and does not use the first polishing module when the abnormality detection system detects an abnormality in the first polishing module.

2. 2. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first polishing module, the second polishing module, the third polishing module, and the fourth polishing module are arranged in a straight line when viewed from above the substrate polishing apparatus.

3. each of the first polishing module and the fourth polishing module is one of a notch polishing module that polishes a notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes a bevel portion of the substrate, a back surface polishing module that polishes a back surface of the substrate, and a device surface polishing module that polishes a device surface of the substrate; the second polishing module is another one of the notch polishing module, the bevel polishing module, the backside polishing module, and the device surface polishing module; 3. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third polishing module is the remaining one of the notch polishing module, the bevel polishing module, the backside polishing module, and the device surface polishing module.

4. The substrate polishing apparatus further comprises a housing, 2. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first polishing module, the second polishing module, the third polishing module, and the fourth polishing module are disposed within the housing.

5. further comprising a first control module, a second control module, a third control module, and a fourth control module that respectively control the operation of the first polishing module, the second polishing module, the third polishing module, and the fourth polishing module; 5. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first to fourth polishing modules and said first to fourth control modules are detachably arranged in said housing.

6. 6. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first to fourth polishing modules have the same size, and the first to fourth control modules have the same size.

7. The integrated control unit is configured to control the operation of the first to fourth control modules, the first control module includes a first wiring connector electrically connectable to the integrated control unit and the first polishing module; the second control module includes a second wiring connector electrically connectable to the integrated control unit and the second polishing module; the third control module includes a third wiring connector electrically connectable to the general control unit and the third polishing module; 7. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the fourth control module includes a fourth wiring connector electrically connectable to the general control unit and the fourth polishing module.

8. A substrate polishing apparatus as described in claim 5 or 6, wherein each of the first polishing module and the fourth polishing module is one of a notch polishing module that polishes a notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes a bevel portion of the substrate, a back surface polishing module that polishes a back surface of the substrate, and a device surface polishing module that polishes a device surface of the substrate.

9. further comprising a first control module, a second control module, a third control module, and a fourth control module that respectively control the operation of the first polishing module, the second polishing module, the third polishing module, and the fourth polishing module; the integrated control unit is configured to control the operations of the first to fourth control modules, the first control module includes a first wiring connector electrically connectable to the integrated control unit and the first polishing module; the second control module includes a second wiring connector electrically connectable to the integrated control unit and the second polishing module; the third control module includes a third wiring connector electrically connectable to the general control unit and the third polishing module; 3. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fourth control module includes a fourth wiring connector electrically connectable to the general control unit and the fourth polishing module.

10. A substrate polishing apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein each of the first polishing module and the fourth polishing module is one of a notch polishing module that polishes a notch portion of the substrate, a bevel polishing module that polishes a bevel portion of the substrate, a back surface polishing module that polishes a back surface of the substrate, and a device surface polishing module that polishes a device surface of the substrate.

Images