POLISHING APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR POLISHING SiC WAFERS

Abstract

A polishing apparatus for polishing SiC wafers includes at least two chuck tables configured to hold the SiC wafers; a turntable, on which the at least two chuck tables are arranged; a polishing assembly configured to polish a surface of one of the SiC wafers held on one of the at least two chuck tables located at a polishing position with a polishing pad; and a C-surface polishing assembly configured to, while the surface of the one of SiC wafers held on the one of the at least two chuck tables located at the polishing position in the polishing assembly is being polish-processed, polish a C surface of another SiC wafer held on another of the at least two chuck tables not located at the polishing position with a C-surface polishing pad. The polishing assembly and the C-surface polishing assembly polish the respective surfaces of each of the SiC wafers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A polishing apparatus configured to polish SiC wafers, comprising:
 at least two chuck tables configured to hold the SiC wafers;   a turntable, on which the at least two chuck tables are arranged;   a polishing assembly configured to polish a surface of one of the SiC wafers held on one of the at least two chuck tables located at a polishing position with a polishing pad, the one of the at least two chuck tables being located at the polishing position by rotation of the turntable; and   a C-surface polishing assembly configured to, while the SiC wafer held on the one of the at least two chuck tables located at the polishing position in the polishing assembly is being polish-processed, polish a C surface of another SiC wafer held on another of the at least two chuck tables not located at the polishing position with a C-surface polishing pad,   wherein the polishing assembly and the C-surface polishing assembly polish the respective surfaces of each of the SiC wafers.   
     
     
         2 . The polishing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a conveyer assembly configured to load and unload the at least two chuck tables with the SiC wafers. 
     
     
         3 . The polishing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an inverting assembly configured to invert the another SiC wafer held on the another of the at least two chuck tables not located at the polishing position vertically. 
     
     
         4 . A method for polishing surfaces on both sides of each of a plurality of SiC wafers, while a Si surface of a first SiC wafer being one of the plurality of SiC wafers held on one of at least two chuck tables arranged on a turntable is being polished with a polishing pad, comprising a cycle of at least:
 a first holding process for causing a second SiC wafer being another one of the plurality of SiC wafers to be held on another of the at least two chuck tables with a C surface thereof facing upward;   a C-surface polishing process for polishing the C surface of the second SiC wafer with a C-surface polishing pad; and   a second holding process for separating the second SiC wafer from the another of the at least two chuck tables, inverting the second SiC wafer, and causing the second SiC wafer to be held on the another of the at least two chuck tables with a Si surface of the second SiC wafer facing upward.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising, an unloading process for, before the first holding process, unloading another one of the plurality of SiC wafers, which is the second SiC wafer in a previous cycle, from the another of the at least two chuck tables.