SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE SUPPORT APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, AND SUBSTRATE FABRICATION METHOD

• US 20020034859A1
• Filed: 08/24/1998
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: YONEHARA, TAKAO, YAMAGATA, KENJI, TAKISAWA, TORU
• Granted Patent: US 6,451,670 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/455
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2007 Bonding of semiconductor wafers to insulating substrates or to semiconducting substrates using an intermediate insulating layer H01L21/2011 takes precedence; bonding of semiconductor wafers to semiconductor wafers for junction formation H01L21/187
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67092 Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting, see the relevant groups in subclasses B24B or B28D

Abstract

The spaces in chuck grooves 3a and 3b are evacuated to chuck the entire surface of a wafer 1 to the chuck surface of a wafer support table 3 and curve the wafer 1. A wafer 2 is horizontally opposed to the wafer 1, and the center of the wafer 2 is pressed by a press pin 6a. The centers of the two wafers 1 and 2 are contacted, and the contact portion gradually spreads to the vicinity of the periphery of a central portion 3c and takes a substantially circular shape. After that, the chuck by the chuck grooves 3a is stopped. Consequently, the wafer 1 flattens, and the entire surfaces of the wafers 1 and 2 are contacted.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising:

a support unit for supporting a first substrate; and

a press unit for pressing a second substrate opposed to the first substrate supported by said support unit,

wherein said support unit can support the first substrate while a predetermined portion of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from the second substrate and is not curved.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said press unit presses a back surface of the second substrate opposed to the first substrate supported by said support unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support unit can support the first substrate while a peripheral portion of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from the second substrate and is not curved, and said press unit presses a substantially central portion of the second substrate opposed to the first substrate supported by said support unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support unit supports the first substrate in a curved state until a predetermined time elapses after said press unit starts pressing a back surface of the second substrate, and supports the first substrate in an uncurved state thereafter.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support unit supports the first substrate in a curved state until a contact portion of the first and second substrates spreads to a predetermined region after said press unit starts pressing a back surface of the second substrate, and supports the first substrate in an uncurved state thereafter.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said support unit comprises an adjusting unit for adjusting the curve of the first substrate to spread a contact portion of the first and second substrates step by step from a center to a periphery thereof.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said adjusting unit adjusts the curve of the first substrate to spread the contact portion of the first and second substrates concentrically step by step.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support unit comprises a chuck unit for curving the first substrate by chucking a back surface of the first substrate.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said support unit comprises a support table having a peripheral portion lower than a central portion, and said support table chucks the first substrate.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said support table comprises a disk-like central portion and one or a plurality of annular peripheral portions.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said support table comprises a disk-like central portion and an annular peripheral portion, and a chuck surface of said peripheral portion is inclined to a chuck surface of said central portion.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a chuck surface of said central portion and a chuck surface of said peripheral portion have chuck mechanisms for chucking the first substrate.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein frog-like pins for supporting the first substrate are formed on the chuck surfaces of said central portion and/or said peripheral portion, and the first substrate is chucked by evacuating a space between said pins.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein only a chuck surface of said peripheral portion of said support table has a chuck mechanism for chucking the first substrate.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said support table of said support unit chucks only a periphery of the first substrate to separate a central portion of the first substrate from a central portion of said support table.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate manipulation unit for supporting the second substrate with the second substrate opposing the first substrate supported by said support unit, and releasing the second substrate, wherein said press unit presses the second substrate when said substrate manipulation unit releases the second substrate.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said support unit substantially horizontally supports the first substrate, and said substrate manipulation unit substantially horizontally supports the second substrate above the first substrate and releases the second substrate.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said support unit can support the substrate while a periphery of the substrate is curved and is not curved with respect to a central portion of the substrate.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said support unit supports the substrate first in a curved state and then in an uncurved state.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said support unit comprises an adjusting unit for adjusting the curve of the substrate to spread a contact portion of the supported substrate and the other substrate to be contacted to the substrate step by step from a center to a periphery thereof.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said adjusting unit adjusts the curve of the supported substrate to spread the contact portion concentrically step by step.

23. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said support unit curves the substrate by chucking a back surface of the substrate.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said support unit comprises a support table having a peripheral portion lower than a central portion, and said support table chucks the first substrate.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said support table comprises a disk-like central portion and one or a plurality of annular peripheral portions.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said support table comprises a disk-like central portion and an annular peripheral portion, and a chuck surface of said peripheral portion is inclined to a chuck surface of said central portion.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a chuck surface of said central portion and a chuck surface of said peripheral portion have chuck mechanisms for chucking the substrate.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein only a chuck surface of said peripheral portion of said support table has a chuck mechanism for chucking the substrate.

29. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said support table of said support unit chucks only a periphery of the substrate to separate a central portion of the substrate from a central portion of said support table.

38. A substrate processing method wherein two substrates are contacted by using the apparatus according to claim 1.

18. A substrate support apparatus for supporting a substrate of two substrates when the two substrates are overlapped and contacted comprising a support unit capable of supporting the substrate in a curved state and an uncurved state.

30. A substrate processing method of overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising the steps of:

opposing first and second substrates to each other;

pressing the second substrate while a periphery of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from a periphery of the second substrate; and

setting the first substrate in an uncurved state after a predetermined time elapses.

37. The method according to claim 30, wherein a back surface of the second substrate is pressed.

39. A substrate fabrication method using the method according to claim 30 in a part of a process.

40. An SOI substrate fabrication method using the method according to claim 30 in a part of a process.

31. A substrate processing method of overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising the steps of:

opposing first and second substrates to each other;

pressing the second substrate while a periphery of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from a periphery of the second substrate; and

setting the first substrate in an uncurved state after a contact portion of the first and second substrates spreads to a predetermined region.

32. A substrate processing method of overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising the steps of:

opposing first and second substrates to each other;

pressing the second substrate while a periphery of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from a periphery of the second substrate; and

adjusting the curve of the first substrate to spread a contact portion of the first and second substrates step by step from a center to a periphery thereof.

33. A substrate processing method of overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising the steps of:

opposing first and second substrates to each other;

pressing the second substrate while a periphery of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from a periphery of the second substrate; and

adjusting the curve of the first substrate to spread a contact portion of the first and second substrates concentrically step by step from a center to a periphery thereof.

34. A substrate processing method of overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising the steps of:

opposing first and second substrates to each other;

pressing the second substrate while a predetermined portion of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from the second substrate; and

setting the first substrate in an uncurved state after a predetermined time elapses.

35. A substrate processing method of overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising the steps of:

opposing first and second substrates to each other;

pressing the second substrate while a predetermined portion of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from the second substrate; and

setting the first substrate in an uncurved state after a contact portion of the first and second substrates spreads to a predetermined region.

36. A substrate processing method of overlapping and contacting two substrates, comprising the steps of:

opposing first and second substrates to each other;

pressing the second substrate while a predetermined portion of the first substrate is so curved as to separate from the second substrate; and

adjusting the curve of the first substrate to spread a contact portion of the first and second substrates step by step from a center to a periphery thereof.