IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,377,497
Granted Patent B2
US 12,377,497 · App. 17/413,601 · Granted Aug 5, 2025

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Inventors: Hirotoshi Mori (Kumamoto, JP); Hayato Tanoue (Kumamoto, JP); Yoshihiro Kawaguchi (Kumamoto, JP)
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
B23K26/53H01L21/268H01L21/304H01L21/687B23K2101/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,377,497
App. No.
17/413,601
Granted
Aug 5, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate includes a substrate holder configured to hold, in a combined substrate in which a front surface of a first substrate and a front surface of a second substrate are bonded to each other, the second substrate; a periphery modification unit configured to form a peripheral modification layer by radiating laser light for periphery to an inside of the first substrate held by the substrate holder along a boundary between a peripheral portion of the first substrate as a removing target and a central portion thereof; and an internal modification unit configured to form, after the peripheral modification layer is formed by the periphery modification unit, an internal modification layer by radiating laser light for internal surface to the inside of the first substrate held by the substrate holder along a plane direction of the first substrate.

Claims (61)

1. A substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate, comprising:

a substrate holder configured to hold, in a combined substrate in which a front surface of a first substrate and a front surface of a second substrate are bonded to each other, the second substrate;

a periphery modification unit configured to form a peripheral modification layer by radiating laser light for periphery to an inside of the first substrate held by the substrate holder along a boundary between a peripheral portion of the first substrate as a removing target and a central portion thereof such that a first crack develops from the peripheral modification layer in a thickness direction of the first substrate;

an internal modification unit configured to form, after the peripheral modification layer is formed by the periphery modification unit, an internal modification layer by radiating laser light for internal surface to the inside of the first substrate along a plane direction of the first substrate such that a second crack develops from the internal modification layer in the plane direction;

a moving mechanism configured to move the substrate holder in a horizontal direction by moving a slider table, which supports the substrate holder, along two guide rails provided on a base such that the internal modification layer is formed between an outer periphery and a center of the first substrate and in an area including the center of the first substrate;

a first camera configured to image an outer end portion of the combined substrate;

a second camera configured to image a boundary between a bonding region and a non-bonding region of the combined substrate, the non-bonding region being located at an outside of the bonding region in a diametrical direction of the combined substrate; and

a control device configured to calculate a first eccentric amount between a center of the substrate holder and a center of the combined substrate from an image obtained by the first camera, and a second eccentric amount between a center of the substrate holder and a center of the bonding region from an image obtained by the second camera,

wherein the moving mechanism is further configured to adjust a position of the substrate based on the first and the second eccentric amounts.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a periphery removing unit configured to remove the peripheral portion of the first substrate starting from the peripheral modification layer after the internal modification layer is formed by the internal modification unit; and

a substrate separating unit configured to separate the first substrate starting from the internal modification layer after the peripheral portion is removed by the periphery removing unit.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:

a processing unit configured to grind a rear surface of the first substrate bonded to the second substrate after the first substrate is separated by the substrate separating unit,

wherein the substrate separating unit serves as a transfer unit configured to transfer the combined substrate between the substrate holder and the processing unit.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:

an additional substrate holder configured to hold the second substrate in the combined substrate,

wherein the periphery removing unit removes the peripheral portion of the first substrate held by the additional substrate holder, and

the substrate separating unit separates the first substrate held by the additional substrate holder.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:

a periphery holder configured to hold the peripheral portion when the internal modification layer is formed by the internal modification unit.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a removing/separating unit configured to perform, after the peripheral modification layer has been formed by the periphery modification unit such that the peripheral modification layer reaches the front surface of the first substrate without reaching a rear surface of the first substrate and the internal modification layer has been formed by the internal modification unit such that the internal modification layer progresses to an inner side than the peripheral modification layer, removing of the peripheral portion of the first substrate starting from the peripheral modification layer and separating of the first substrate starting from the internal modification layer at a same time by raising the first substrate in a state that the rear surface of the first substrate is attracted.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:

a processing unit configured to grind a rear surface of the first substrate bonded to the second substrate after the first substrate is separated by the removing/separating unit,

wherein the removing/separating unit serves as a transfer unit configured to transfer the combined substrate between the substrate holder and the processing unit.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:

an additional substrate holder configured to hold the second substrate in the combined substrate,

wherein the removing/separating unit performs the removing of the peripheral portion and the separating of the first substrate at the same time on the first substrate held by the additional substrate holder.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the periphery modification unit forms the peripheral modification layer such that the first crack reaches the front surface of the first substrate.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a periphery removing unit configured to remove the peripheral portion of the first substrate starting from the peripheral modification layer after the peripheral modification layer is formed by the periphery modification unit and before the internal modification layer is formed by the internal modification unit; and

a substrate separating unit configured to separate the first substrate starting from the internal modification layer after the internal modification layer is formed by the internal modification unit.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 10 ,

wherein the periphery removing unit serves as a transfer unit configured to transfer the combined substrate to the substrate holder.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein a laser head is shared by the periphery modification unit and the internal modification unit, and the laser head switches the laser light for periphery and the laser light for internal surface.

13. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12 ,

wherein the laser head includes multiple laser heads.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12 ,

wherein the laser head is configured to be moved up and down in a vertical direction and, also, moved in a horizontal direction.

15. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the moving mechanism is further configured to adjust a position of the substrate holder in the formation of the peripheral modification layer based on an eccentric amount between a center of the substrate holder and a center of a bonding region of the first and second substrates by moving the slider table.

16. A substrate processing method of processing a substrate, comprising:

holding, in a combined substrate in which a front surface of a first substrate and a front surface of a second substrate are bonded to each other, the second substrate with a substrate holder;

forming a peripheral modification layer by radiating laser light for periphery from a periphery modification unit to an inside of the first substrate held by the substrate holder along a boundary between a peripheral portion of the first substrate as a removing target and a central portion thereof such that a first crack develops from the peripheral modification layer in a thickness direction of the first substrate;

forming, after the forming of the peripheral modification layer by the periphery modification unit, an internal modification layer by radiating laser light for internal surface from an internal modification unit to the inside of the first substrate along a plane direction of the first substrate such that the internal modification layer is formed in an area including a center of the first substrate and a second crack develops from the internal modification layer in the plane direction;

moving the substrate holder in a horizontal direction by moving a slider table, which supports the substrate holder, along two guide rails provided on a base such that the internal modification layer is formed between an outer periphery and the center of the first substrate and in an area including the center of the first substrate;

imaging, by a first camera, an outer end portion of the combined substrate;

imaging, by a second camera, a boundary between a bonding region and a non-bonding region of the combined substrate, the non-bonding region being located at an outside of the bonding region in a diametrical direction of the combined substrate;

calculating a first eccentric amount between a center of the substrate holder and a center of the combined substrate from an image obtained by the first camera, and a second eccentric amount between a center of the substrate holder and a center of the bonding region from an image obtained by the second camera; and

adjusting a position of the substrate based on the first and the second eccentric amounts.

17. The substrate processing method of claim 16 , further comprising:

removing, after the forming of the internal modification layer by the internal modification unit, the peripheral portion of the first substrate starting from the peripheral modification layer by a periphery removing unit; and

separating, after the removing of the peripheral portion by the periphery removing unit, the first substrate starting from the internal modification layer by a substrate separating unit.

18. The substrate processing method of claim 16 ,

wherein after the peripheral modification layer has been formed by the periphery modification unit such that the peripheral modification layer reaches the front surface of the first substrate without reaching a rear surface of the first substrate and the forming of the internal modification layer has been formed by the internal modification unit such that the internal modification layer progresses to an inner side than the peripheral modification layer, removing of the peripheral portion of the first substrate starting from the peripheral modification layer and separating of the first substrate starting from the internal modification layer are performed at a same time by using a removing/separating unit by raising the first substrate in a state that the rear surface of the first substrate is attracted.

19. The substrate processing method of claim 16 , further comprising:

removing, with a periphery removing unit, the peripheral portion of the first substrate starting from the peripheral modification layer after the forming of the peripheral modification layer by the periphery modification unit and before the forming of the internal modification layer by the internal modification unit; and

separating, with a substrate separating unit, the first substrate starting from the internal modification layer after the forming of the internal modification layer by the internal modification unit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2021
From: MORI, HIROTOSHI; TANOUE, HAYATO; KAWAGUCHI, YOSHIHIRO
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 056528/0528 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-240179 · Dec 21, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220040800A1 · Feb 10, 2022
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