Abstract:
Methods, apparatus and systems are provided for processing a selected substrate having an edge profile. The invention includes receiving substrate information at a substrate processing system wherein the substrate information is associated with at least one substrate; determining an identification code of a substrate selected for processing using the received substrate information; accessing edge profile information associated with the selected substrate from the received substrate information using the identification code of the selected substrate; and determining a processing recipe for the selected substrate based on the accessed edge profile information. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description:
[0001]    The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,212, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING A SUBSTRATE EDGE PROFILE AND ADJUSTING THE PROCESSING OF THE SUBSTRATE ACCORDING TO THE IDENTIFIED EDGE PROFILE” (Attorney Docket No. 11695/L) which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
       CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0002]    The present application is related to the following commonly-assigned, co-pending U.S. patent applications, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes: 
         [0003]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/440,937 filed May 19, 2003, entitled “TEST SUBSTRATE RECLAMATION METHOD AND APPARATUS” issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,711 on Oct. 11, 2005; 
         [0004]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/299,295 filed on Dec. 9, 2005, and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A SUBSTRATE” (Attorney Docket No. 10121); 
         [0005]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/298,555 filed on Dec. 9, 2005, and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A SUBSTRATE” (Attorney Docket No. 10414); 
         [0006]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/286,404 filed on Nov. 1, 2002, and entitled “SINGLE WAFER DRYING AND DRYING METHODS” (Attorney Docket No. 5877); 
         [0007]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/650,310 filed on Aug. 28, 2003, and entitled “SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING SUBSTRATE CARRIERS” (Attorney Docket No. 6900); 
         [0008]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/650,479 filed on Aug. 28, 2003, and entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING SUBSTRATES TO A PROCESSING TOOL” (Attorney Docket No. 7096); 
         [0009]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/764,982 filed on Jan. 26, 2004, and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SUBSTRATE CARRIERS” (Attorney Docket No. 7163); 
         [0010]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/882,066 filed on Dec. 27, 2006, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MODULAR AND CONFIGURABLE SUBSTRATE CLEANING” (Attorney Docket No. 10860/L); 
         [0011]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,351, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR POLISHING A NOTCH OF A SUBSTRATE USING AN INFLATABLE POLISHING WHEEL” (Attorney Docket No. 10674/L); 
         [0012]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,353, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FINDING A SUBSTRATE NOTCH CENTER” (Attorney Docket No. 11244/L); 
         [0013]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,343, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS TO CONTROL SUBSTRATE BEVEL AND EDGE POLISHING PROFILES OF EPITAXIAL FILMS” (Attorney Docket No. 11417/L); 
         [0014]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,219, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR POLISHING A NOTCH OF A SUBSTRATE USING A SHAPED BACKING PAD” (Attorney Docket No. 11483/L); 
         [0015]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,342, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVAL OF FILMS AND FLAKES FROM THE EDGE OF BOTH SIDES OF A SUBSTRATE USING BACKING PADS” (Attorney Docket No. 11564/L); 
         [0016]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,350 filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USING A BEVEL POLISHING HEAD WITH AN EFFICIENT TAPE ROUTING ARRANGEMENT” (Attorney Docket No. 11565/L); 
         [0017]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,344, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USING A ROLLING BACKING PAD FOR SUBSTRATE POLISHING” (Attorney Docket No. 11566/L); 
         [0018]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,333, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUBSTRATE EDGE POLISHING USING A POLISHING ARM” (Attorney Docket No. 11567/L); 
         [0019]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,337, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE SUBSTRATE BEVEL AND EDGE POLISHING IN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURE” (Attorney Docket No. 11809/L); 
         [0020]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,228, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR POLISHING A NOTCH OF A SUBSTRATE BY SUBSTRATE VIBRATION” (Attorney Docket No. 11952/L); and 
         [0021]    U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/939,209, filed May 21, 2007, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE SIZE OF AN EDGE EXCLUSION ZONE OF A SUBSTRATE” (Attorney Docket No. 11987/L). 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    The present invention relates generally to substrate processing, and more particularly to methods and apparatus determining the profile of an edge of a substrate and processing the substrate according to the determined profile. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    Substrates used in electronic device manufacturing may be produced to differing specifications by substrate manufacturers. Relevant SEMI standard governing substrate parameters often provide wide tolerances, allowing considerable variation in the dimensions and profiles of edge portions of the substrate. For example, edge profiles (i.e., cross-sectional shapes of the edge of the substrate) may differ considerably by manufacturer. During subsequent processing steps, films may accumulate on the surfaces of the substrate, including the edge of the substrate. The residual films can become a source of defects, and it is thus advantageous to remove the residues by polishing the substrate edge without damaging or changing the shape of the substrate. Conventional edge polishing procedures may not adequately account for the variability in the edge profile of the substrate as provided by the manufacturer, and application of the conventional edge polishing procedures may result in inaccuracies and errors, such as changing the shape of the substrate&#39;s edge profile. What is therefore needed is a method and apparatus for accurately determining the edge profile of a substrate, and for adjusting polishing procedures accordingly. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    In a first aspect of the invention, a method of processing a selected substrate includes: (1) receiving substrate information at a substrate processing system, wherein the substrate information is associated with at least one substrate; (2) determining an identification code of a substrate selected for processing using the received substrate information; (3) retrieving the edge profile information associated with the selected substrate from the received substrate information using the identification code of the selected substrate; and (4) determining a processing recipe for the selected substrate based on the retrieved edge profile information. 
         [0025]    In another aspect of the invention, a method of processing a substrate having an edge profile and an inscribed identification code includes: (1) receiving a substrate at a substrate processing system; (2) detecting the inscribed identification code of the substrate; (3) transmitting a request, including the identification code of the substrate, to access stored edge profile information associated with the substrate; (4) receiving the stored edge profile information associated with the substrate; and (5) determining a processing recipe for the substrate based on the edge profile information of the substrate. 
         [0026]    In yet another aspect of the invention, a system for processing a substrate is provided. The system comprises an edge profile database containing substrate edge profile information; an edge polishing apparatus adapted to polish the edge of the substrate; and a controller adapted to receive the edge profile information from the edge profile database, and adapted to instruct the edge polishing apparatus to process the substrate edge in accordance with the edge profile information. 
         [0027]    Other features and aspects of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0028]      FIG. 1A  is schematic cross-sectional view of an edge of a first exemplary substrate. 
           [0029]      FIG. 1B  is schematic cross-sectional view of an edge of a second exemplary substrate. 
           [0030]      FIG. 1C  is schematic cross-sectional views of an edge of a third exemplary substrate. 
           [0031]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a database including substrate edge profile information as provided in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of an exemplary substrate cleaning and polishing system in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 4  is a schematic plan view of an edge of a substrate depicting an inscribed substrate identification code in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart of a first exemplary embodiment of a method of identifying an edge profile of a substrate and determining a suitable processing recipe in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0035]      FIG. 6  is a flow chart of a second exemplary embodiment of a method of identifying an edge profile of a substrate and determining a suitable processing recipe in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0036]    The present invention provides improved methods and systems for polishing the edge of a substrate. As described above, if the various edge profiles of the substrates, provided by manufacturers, are not taken into account during edge polishing procedures, inaccuracies and errors may result. For example, too much material may be removed by the polishing process and/or portions of the edge may not be adequately polished. Therefore, the present invention provides a database including edge profile information associated with a particular substrate. Each substrate may have an identification code, through which the edge profile information may be indexed. Each substrate edge may be categorized by one or more node sections. For example, the interface of a major surface of the substrate and the edge of the substrate may be node  1  and the outer edge of the substrate may be node  2 . The area of the substrate between node  1  and node  2  may be categorized as node section  1 - 2 . The edge profile information may include, for example, information characterizing the shape, related to the length, related to the inclination angle, and related to the curvature of node section  1 - 2 . A “recipe” for processing the substrate may be determined based on the edge profile information. The recipe may be transmitted to a processing tool such that the processing tool processes the substrate in accordance with the edge profile. 
         [0037]    In electronic device manufacturing, one or more cleaning and/or polishing procedures, such as edge polishing, may be performed at one or more stages of a device fabrication process. The substrates upon which such procedures are performed may have a variety of different edge profiles as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C. 
         [0038]      FIG. 1A  is a cross-sectional view of a first exemplary edge profile of a substrate  100 . The substrate  100  may include two major surfaces  102 ,  102 ′ and an edge  104 . Each major surface  102 ,  102 ′ of the substrate  100  may include a device region  106 ,  106 ′ upon which devices may be fabricated, and exclusion regions  108 ,  108 ′ (termed ‘edge exclusion zones’ herein) upon which device fabrication is not meant to occur. (Typically however, only one of the two major surfaces  102 ,  102 ′ will include a device region and an exclusion region). The edge exclusion zones  108 ,  108 ′ may serve as a buffer between the device regions  106 ,  106 ′ and the edge  104 . The edge  104  of the substrate  100  may include an outer edge  110  and bevels  112 ,  114 . The bevels  112 ,  114  may be located between the outer edge  110  and the exclusion regions  108 ,  108 ′ of the two major surfaces  102 ,  102 ′ and may have surfaces aligned at an angle with respect to the major surfaces  102 ,  102 ′. In an edge polishing process, the bevels  112 ,  114  and/or the edge exclusion zones  108 ,  108 ′ may be polished to remove defects or contaminants, to reduce film thickness, and more generally to improve surface uniformity. The edge profile shown in  FIG. 1A  is substantially triangular in shape and may be approximated by identifying specific sections delimited by a plurality of nodes positioned on the edge  104 . In particular, the profile of  FIG. 1A  may be characterized by a first node (N 1 ) positioned at the conjunction of edge exclusion zone  108  and bevel  112 , a second node (N 2 ) positioned at the outer edge  110 , and a third node (N 3 ) positioned at the conjunction of edge exclusion zone  108 ′ and bevel  114 . The three nodes N 1 , N 2 , N 3  define two sections N 1 -N 2  and N 2 -N 3 , which, in the example shown, constitute the flat bevels  112 ,  114 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 1B  is a cross-sectional view of a second exemplary edge profile of a substrate  120  which may be produced by a different manufacturer, for example. Substrate  120  includes major surfaces  122 ,  122 ′ and an edge  124 . The major surface  122 ,  122 ′ of the substrate  120  may include respective device regions  126 ,  126 ′ upon which devices may be fabricated, and exclusion regions  128 ,  128 ′ upon which device fabrication is not meant to occur. It is noted that the dimensions (e.g., width) of the device regions  126 ,  126 ′ and edge exclusion zones  128 ,  128 ′ may be different from the corresponding device regions  106 ,  106 ′ and edge exclusion zones  108 ,  108 ′ of the edge profile shown in  FIG. 1A . This may be one way in which substrates  100 ,  120  may differ. 
         [0040]    Additionally, the edge portion  124  of the substrate  120  shown in  FIG. 1B  may differ from the edge portion  104  of the substrate  100  shown in  FIG. 1A , for example. As shown, the edge  124  includes bevels  130 ,  132 , which may differ in length and angle from bevels  112 ,  114  of the edge  104 . Additionally, the edge  124  may include, for example, two “flat” planar portions  135 ,  137  and a flat end surface  139 . The two flat planar portions  135 ,  137  may (as depicted,) for example, be bevels inclined at a greater angle than bevels  130 ,  132 . The flat end surface  139  may be oriented perpendicularly with respect to major surfaces  122 ,  122 ′. The edge profile shown in  FIG. 1B  may be more complex than the edge profile shown in  FIG. 1A , in that a greater amount of information may be used to characterize the profile. In particular, the profile of  FIG. 1B  may be characterized by a first node (N 11 ), positioned at the conjunction of edge exclusion zone  128  and bevel  130 , a second node (N 12 ), positioned at the conjunction of bevel  130  and planar portion  135 , a third node (N 13 ), positioned at the conjunction of planar portion  135  and end surface  139 , a fourth node (N 14 ), positioned at the conjunction of end surface  139  and planar portion  137 , a fifth node (N 15 ), positioned at the conjunction of planar portion  137  and bevel  132 , and a sixth node (N 16 ), positioned at the conjunction of bevel  132  and edge exclusion zone  128 ′. 
         [0041]    While the sections of the profile may be used to define the nodes as indicated, in the absence of knowledge of the edge profile, the six nodes N 11 -N 16  of the edge profile shown in  FIG. 1B , may in turn define the five sections N 11 -N 12 , N 12 -N 13 , N 13 - 14 , N 14 -N 15  and N 15 - 16  of the edge profile of substrate  120 . For example, with a small amount of additional information as to the shape of each of these sections (e.g., flat as shown) the corresponding portions, bevel  130 , planar portion  135 , end surface  139 , planar portion  137  and bevel  132  may be reconstructed from the nodal information (e.g., the positions of nodes N 11 -N 16 ). 
         [0042]    During substrate processing, residual films may accumulate on the edges of the substrates. Polishing procedures may be used to remove such residual films. However, to properly remove the residual film without damaging the substrate or changing the substrate&#39;s edge profile, it is important to ascertain the substrate edge profile in order to adjust the polishing procedures accordingly. For example, through knowledge of the edge profile, the force and angle at which an abrasive polishing film may be applied to the substrate, and the speed at which the substrate is rotated, may be adjusted in accordance with the substrate edge profile. 
         [0043]    For example, the edge profiles of the substrates  100 ,  120  shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  include planar surfaces oriented at different angles with respect to the major surfaces of the substrates  100 ,  120 . Such planar surfaces may be polished by forcibly contacting the edges  104 ,  124  with an abrasive polishing tape at specific angles with respect to the major surfaces  102 ,  102 ′ and  122 ,  122 ′, respectively. Previously incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/298,555 and 60/939,333 (Attorney Docket Nos. 10414, 11567) describe apparatus and methods for angularly translating a polishing head adapted to forcibly apply the polishing tape to the substrate  100 ,  120 . In some embodiments, a polishing head may be coupled to a rotating arm such that the polishing tape may be oriented at a desired angle with respect to the major surfaces  102 ,  102 ′,  122 ,  122 ′. 
         [0044]    Controlled angular translation of the polishing head may also enable curved edge profiles to be polished. Curved profiles (or portions thereof) may be polished, for example, by a continuous rotation and/or angular translation of a polishing head (and polishing tape) around a curved portion of the edge  104 ,  124 .  FIG. 1C  is a cross-sectional view of a third exemplary edge profile of a substrate  140  including a curved portion. Substrate  140  includes major surfaces  142 ,  142 ′ and an edge  144 . The major surface  142 ,  142 ′ of the substrate  140  may include respective device regions  146 ,  146 ′ upon which devices may be fabricated, and exclusion regions  148 ,  148 ′ upon which device fabrication is not meant to occur. As shown, the edge  144  includes bevels  150 ,  152 . An outer portion  154  of the edge  144  includes a curved section  156 . The edge profile of  FIG. 1C  may be characterized by a first node (N 21 ), positioned at the conjunction of edge exclusion zone  148  and bevel  150 , a second node (N 22 ), positioned at the conjunction of bevel  150  and curved section  156 , a third node (N 23 ), positioned at the conjunction of curved section  156  and bevel  152 , and a fourth node (N 24 ), positioned at the conjunction of bevel  152  and edge exclusion zone  148 ′. The sections of the profile of substrate  140  include N 21 -N 22 , N 22 -N 23  and N 23 -N 24 . In this case, section N 22 -N 23  is curved. 
         [0045]    According to the invention, nodal and sectional information, used to characterize one or more substrate edge profiles, may be included in a database (‘edge profile database’) which may be indexed using a substrate identification code, such that by looking up a particular substrate identification code, the edge profile characteristics of the associated substrate may be accessed. 
         [0046]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary edge profile database  200  provided according to the present invention. It is noted that the values of length dimensions and angles listed are merely exemplary, and other suitable length dimensions and angles may be used. As shown, the database  200  includes several columns  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  210 ,  212 , which each include information related to a particular field or parameter of the substrate and/or substrate edge profile. The first column  202  includes substrate identification codes which, as stated, may be used as an index since the codes uniquely identify particular substrates. In the database  200 , three substrate identification codes  100001 ,  100002 ,  100003  are depicted, and accordingly the database  200  includes information pertaining to the three substrates  100001 ,  100002 ,  100003  thus identified. For illustrative purposes, in the exemplary database of  FIG. 2 , substrate  100001  corresponds to substrate  100  depicted in  FIG. 1A , substrate  100002  corresponds to substrate  120  depicted in  FIG. 1B , and substrate  100003  corresponds to substrate  140  depicted in  FIG. 1C . The database  200  may include information pertaining to a smaller or larger number of substrates. 
         [0047]    The second column  204  includes nodal/sectional information for each of the substrate identification code entries. This information may be similar to the nodal/sectional information discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 1A-C . For example, the information in column  204  pertaining to substrate  100001  (corresponding to substrate  100  of  FIG. 1A ) lists three nodes N 1 , N 2 , N 3  and two sections N 1 -N 2 , N 2 -N 3  connecting the three nodes. Each section N 1 -N 2 , N 2 -N 3  is allocated a separate row in column  204 . Likewise, the information in column  204  pertaining to substrate  100002  (corresponding to substrate  120  of  FIG. 1B ) lists six nodes Nil, N 12 , N 13 , N 14 , N 15 , N 16  and five sections N 11 -N 12 , N 12 -N 13 , N 13 -N 14 , N 14 -N 15 , N 15 - 16  connecting the six nodes. Each of the sections N 11 -N 12 , N 12 -N 13 , N 13 -N 14 , N 14 -N 15 , N 15 - 16  is similarly allocated a separate row in column  204 . Similarly, the information in column  204  pertaining to substrate  100003  (corresponding to substrate  140  of  FIG. 1C ) lists four nodes N 21 , N 22 , N 23 , N 24  and three sections N 21 -N 22 , N 22 -N 23 , N 23 -N 24  connecting the four nodes. Each of the sections N 21 -N 22 , N 22 -N 23 , N 23 -N 24  is similarly allocated a separate row in column  204 . Accordingly, each substrate identification code  100001 ,  100002 ,  100003  may be allocated a plurality of rows corresponding to the number of sections in the edge profile of the identified substrate. 
         [0048]    The third column  206  includes information characterizing the shape of the sections listed in column  204 . For each section listed in column  204 , the third column  206  indicates a shape of the corresponding section. The entries in the sectional shape field of column  206  are depicted in terms of simplified indicators, such as ‘flat’ and ‘curved,’ but other shape indicators may be used. For example, the sectional shape field of column  206  may indicate whether a curve is convex or concave (e.g., “convex curve”, “concave curve”). With respect to the substrates characterized in database  200 , the third column  206  includes entries indicating that sections N 1 -N 2 , N 2 -N 3  of substrate  100001  are flat, sections N 11 -N 12 , N 12 - 13 , N 13 -N 14 , N 14 -N 15 , N 15 - 16  of substrate  100002  are flat, and that sections N 21 -N 22 , N 23 -N 4  of substrate  100003  are flat, while section N 22 -N 23  of substrate  100003  is curved. 
         [0049]    The fourth column  208  includes information related to the length of sections listed in column  204 . As listed, sections N 1 -N 2 , N 2 -N 3  of substrate  100001  are 0.4 mm long, sections N 11 -N 12 , N 12 - 13 , N 14 - 15 , N 15 -N 16  of substrate  100002  are 0.2 mm long, section N 13 -N 14  is 0.4 mm long, sections N 21 -N 22 , N 23 -N 4  of substrate  100003  is 0.4 mm long, and section N 22 -N 23  is 0.9 mm long. 
         [0050]    The fifth column  210  includes information related to the inclination angle of the sections listed in column  204  that are flat (and for which the inclination angle is well-defined). Column  210  includes entries indicating that sections N 1 -N 2 , N 2 -N 3  of substrate  100001  are inclined at 25 and −25 degrees with respect to the major surfaces  102 ,  102 ′. With regard to substrate  100002 , section N 11 -N 12  is inclined at 25 degrees, section N 12 - 13  is inclined at 50 degrees, section N 13 -N 14  is inclined at 90 degrees, section N 14 -N 15  is inclined at −50 degrees, and section N 15 - 16  is inclined at −25 degrees with respect to major surfaces  122 ,  122 ′. With regard to substrate  100003 , section N 21 -N 22  is inclined at 30 degrees, and section N 23 -N 24  is inclined at −30 degrees. 
         [0051]    The sixth column  212  includes information related to the curvature of the sections listed in column  204  that are curved. The curvature may be a normalized parameter that indicates the degree of curvature of the section. In the database depicted characterizing substrates  100 ,  120  and  140 , the only curved section is N 22 -N 23  on the edge  144  of substrate  140 , which has a curvature value of 0.8. 
         [0052]    It is to be appreciated that additional and/or different fields may be included in the database  200 . For example, the edges  104 ,  124 ,  144  of respective substrates  100 ,  120 ,  140  may have distinct profiles at different points on their circumferences. For example, a portion of one or more of edges  104 ,  124 ,  144  may comprise a notch which may have a quite different profile in comparison to other portions of the edge  104 ,  124 ,  144 . In such cases, a substrate identification code may be associated with more than one edge profile, and in turn, a particular edge profile may be associated with a range of angular values (e.g., stored in an additional sub-field) on the circumference of the substrate  100 ,  120 ,  140 . 
         [0053]    As stated, according to the invention, the edge profile information within database  200  may be provided to an edge polishing apparatus so that the polishing ‘recipe’ used on a particular substrate can be tailored to the characteristics of the edge profile of the particular substrate. In some embodiments, the edge profile information may be provided to the edge polishing apparatus via a controller, as further described below. 
         [0054]    Turning to  FIG. 3 , an exemplary substrate cleaning and polishing system  300  is shown. The system  300  comprises a substrate loading/unloading station  301  from which the cleaning and polishing system  300  may receive substrate carriers (e.g.,  302 ) from other parts of a manufacturing facility and to which the cleaning and polishing system  300  may return cleaned and/or polished substrates to the manufacturing facility. The substrate carriers  302  may be configured to hold a single substrate or more than one substrate (e.g., up to 25 substrates). The substrate carriers  302  may be carried through the manufacturing facility along a conveyor  303 , which may, for example, be continuously moving, to and from the loading/unloading station  301 . The conveyor  303  may be of a vertical ribbon type disclosed in previously incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/764,982, entitled “Methods and Apparatus for Transporting Wafer Carriers” (Attorney Docket No. 7163). 
         [0055]    The loading/unloading station  301  may be of the type disclosed in previously incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/650,479, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Supplying Substrates to a Processing Tool” (Attorney Docket No. 7096), in which substrate carriers  302  are moved directly to docking ports on the station instead of to storage shelves, although other types of loading/unloading stations  301  may be used. 
         [0056]    A factory interface (FI)  304  may be positioned between the loading/unloading station  301  and a cleaning tool  306 . The loading/unloading station  301  is positioned adjacent a first ‘factory’ side of a clean room wall  307  and the factory interface  304  is positioned adjacent a second ‘system’ side of the clean room wall  307 . The factory interface  304  may include a robot  308  that may move horizontally along a track (not shown) parallel to the clean room wall  307 . The robot  308  may engage docking ports of the loading/unloading station  301  to remove unprocessed substrates from, or provide processed (i.e., cleaned and/or polished) substrates to, the loading/unloading station  301  via a sealed space such as a slit valve (not explicitly shown). The robot  308  may also transport substrates to and from the cleaning tool  306 . 
         [0057]    The cleaning tool  306  may comprise one or more vertical or horizontal cleaning modules, including, for example: a megasonic cleaner, a cleaning bath, a rinsing module, a vapor drying module (e.g., Marangoni dryer), a brush scrubber, and a spin-rinse dryer. The vapor drying modules may be of the type disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/764,982, entitled “Methods and Apparatus for Transporting Wafer Carriers” (Attorney Docket No. 5877). The cleaning tool  306  may be equipped with an internal transfer chamber having a robot (not shown), and the cleaning modules may be arranged in a plurality of bays around the transfer chamber, in which the bays may be adapted to support either vertical or horizontal cleaning modules as described in U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/882,066, entitled “Systems and Methods for Modular and Configurable Substrate Cleaning” (Attorney Docket No. 10860/L). The cleaning tool  306  and cleaning modules therein may be configured in other ways. 
         [0058]    The cleaning tool  306  may be coupled to a polishing tool  312  via a transfer chamber  310 , which may include a robot adapted to transfer substrates, such as substrate  100 , between the cleaning tool  306  and the polishing tool  312 . 
         [0059]    The polishing tool  312  may include one or more bevel and/or notch polishing apparatuses (e.g.,  314 ,  316 ,  318 ) as described, for example, in previously incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/298,555 and U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/939,333(Attorney Docket No. 11567/L). For example, as described in the latter application, polishing apparatuses  314 ,  316 ,  318  may comprise movable and rotatable polishing arms that apply an abrasive polishing tape against the edge of a substrate  100  via a polishing head positioned on the polishing arm. As shown, the polishing tool  312  includes three (3) polishing apparatuses  314 ,  316 ,  318  positioned around the circumference of the substrate  100 . A smaller or larger number of apparatuses may be used (e.g., 1, 2, 3 . . . n). In accordance with the invention, each polishing apparatus  314 ,  316 ,  318  may be directed to execute a selected processing recipe. The selected recipe may involve, for example, precisely controlling the position and motion of components, such as polishing heads of the polishing apparatuses  314 ,  316 ,  318 , so as to apply the abrasive polishing tape at specific locations, angles, and pressures to the edge  104  of the substrate  100 . 
         [0060]    The components of the cleaning and polishing system  300 , including the loading/unloading station  301 , the factory interface  304 , the cleaning tool  306 , the transfer chamber  310  and the polishing tool  312  may be operated under the control of a local controller  320 . The local controller  320  may be or may include any components or devices which are typically used by, or used in connection with, a computer or computer system. Although not explicitly pictured in  FIG. 3 , the local controller  320  may include one or more central processing units, read only memory (ROM) devices and/or random access memory (RAM) devices. The local controller  320  may also include input devices such as a keyboard and/or a mouse or other pointing device, and output devices such as a printer or other device via which data and/or information may be obtained, and/or a display device such as a monitor for displaying information to a user or operator. The local controller  320  may also include a transmitter and/or a receiver such as a LAN adapter or communications port for facilitating communication with other system components (as described further below) and/or in a network environment, one or more databases for storing any appropriate data and/or information, one or more programs or sets of instructions for executing methods of the present invention, and/or any other computer components or systems, including any peripheral devices. 
         [0061]    The local controller  320  may be coupled (e.g., logically or electronically) to a manufacturing execution system (MCS)  322 . The MCS  322  may comprise a host computer system coupled to a local or wide array network and associated data storage resources (e.g., hard disk, optical disk, network-assisted storage, dedicated database servers, etc.) The MCS  322  may execute a manufacturing execution system (MES) that monitors operations of an electronic device manufacturing facility. In particular, the MES may also be coupled to a transport system controller (TSC) (not shown) that maintains the operation of the transport system including the conveyor  303 . In addition, the MCS  322  may keep track of substrate carriers as they are moved through different tools in the facility such that any given time, the MCS  322  can determine the location of any and all substrate carriers within the facility. As described in previously incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/440,937 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,711), the MCS  322  may store the substrate identification code of the substrates being processed in the manufacturing facility, and may also store an identification of a substrate carrier (e.g.,  302 ) in which each substrate is stored. The MCS  322  may also store and/or have access to a database storing the processing history of each of the identified substrates. According to the invention, the MCS  322  may also store and/or have access to edge profile data (e.g., database  200 ) for each identified substrate. 
         [0062]    The information within such databases may be updated in real time via data communication with the various processing units within the manufacturing facility. In this manner, as substrate carriers are conveyed throughout the facility between different processing tools, the substrates being carried within each substrate carrier, and the current processing state of each substrate within each carrier, may be monitored. 
         [0063]    In some embodiments of the present invention, the MCS  322  may communicate substrate information to a local controller of a processing unit (e.g., local controller  320  of cleaning and polishing system  300 ). This may be done automatically when substrates intended to be cleaned and/or polished are approaching the cleaning and polishing system  300 . For example, as a substrate carrier  302  approaches the system  300  for a loading operation in which substrates (e.g.,  100 ) are provided to the system  300  for further processing, the MCS  322  may communicate information regarding each of the substrates stored in the substrate carrier  302  to the local controller  320 . The MCS  322  may communicate the substrate information to the local controller  320  at other times, for example, after a substrate carrier  302  is received at the loading/unloading station  301  of the cleaning and polishing system  300 . 
         [0064]    The information provided by the MCS  322  may include the information in the edge profile database  200 . In this manner, the local controller  320  may obtain edge profile information regarding each of the substrates in the substrate carrier  302 . For each individual substrate (e.g.,  100 ) processed in the cleaning and polishing system  300 , the local controller  320  may determine and select a suitable processing recipe based on the edge profile information (and possibly additional information such as the substrate&#39;s processing history), and may control the polishing tool  312  according to the selected recipe. By tailoring the processing recipe to the profile edge of each substrate, greater uniformity in end results may be achieved. 
         [0065]    According to alternative embodiments of the invention, the MCS  322  may not transmit substrate information such as identification information or edge profile information (e.g., database  200 ), to the local controller  320 . Instead, the local controller  320  may identify substrates provided to the cleaning and polishing system  300  using other techniques. For example, one or more substrates may be inscribed with one or more unique identification codes, which may be used to identify the substrates.  FIG. 4  shows a portion of a surface of a substrate (e.g.,  100 ) having an exemplary identification code  402  located proximate to the edge  104  of the substrate  100 . The identification code  402  may include bar codes, alphanumeric characters, or any other suitable markings that are readily detectable and adapted to uniquely identify the substrate  100 . The identification code  402  may be the same as or correspond to the substrate identification code (i.e.,  100001 ) of the substrate  100  stored in the edge profile data database  200 . As shown, the identification code  402  may be positioned in fixed relation to a notch  404  or other orientation features on the edge  104  of the substrate  100  which may facilitate robotic and or other handling of the substrate  100 . 
         [0066]    Referring again to  FIG. 3 , the cleaning and polishing system  300  may include an optical detection device  330 , such as a scanner, for example, adapted to read the substrate identification code  402  inscribed on the surface of the substrate  100 . As shown, the optical detection device  330  is located in the factory interface  304 , but this is merely exemplary, and the optical detection device  330  may be positioned in other locations within the cleaning and polishing system  300 , such as the loading/unloading station  301 , or in locations external to the cleaning and polishing system  300 . The optical detection device  330  may be coupled to the local controller  320  and may supply the latter with optical detection signals. The local controller  320  may process the optical detection signals to determine the identification code  402  (e.g., alphanumeric code) inscribed on the substrate  100 . 
         [0067]    Upon a determination of the substrate identification code  402  of the received substrate  100 , the local controller  320  may send a signal to the MCS  322  in order to obtain edge profile information stored in the database  200  corresponding to the determined substrate identification code  402 . The MCS  322  may access and retrieve the edge profile information in the database  200  corresponding to the identification code  402 , and may then transmit the edge profile information back to the local controller  320 . The local controller  320  may then determine an edge polishing recipe for the substrate  100  based on the edge profile information received from the MCS  322 . 
         [0068]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are flow charts of exemplary alternative methods of processing a substrate, including identifying the edge profile of a substrate, and processing the substrate based on the edge profile, according to the invention.  FIG. 5  is a flow chart of a first method  500  for processing a substrate in which a central controller (e.g. MCS  322 ) automatically provides database information to the local controller  320  of the cleaning and polishing system  300 .  FIG. 6  is a flow chart of a second method  600  for processing a substrate in which the local controller  320  identifies the substrate and then obtains edge profile information on the identified from the MCS  322 . 
         [0069]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , the method  500  of processing a substrate is shown. In step S 502 , the manufacturing control system (MCS)  322  of the electronic device manufacturing facility determines that a substrate carrier  302 , including one or more substrates scheduled to be processed at a cleaning and polishing system  300 , is in position to be processed by the cleaning and polishing system  300 . In step S 504 , the MCS transmits information to the local controller  320  of the cleaning and polishing system  300 . The information provided by the MCS  322  to the local controller  320  may include the information in the edge profile database  200  described above with respect to  FIG. 2 , i.e., substrate identification codes of the substrates present in the substrate carrier  302  and edge profile information of each of the substrates indexed according to the substrate identification codes. 
         [0070]    Upon receipt of the edge profile information from the MCS  322 , in step S 506 , the local controller  320  selects a substrate for processing, and accesses the received edge profile information of the substrate based on the substrate&#39;s identification code. In step S 508 , the local controller  320  determines a polishing recipe to apply to the selected substrate, based on the edge profile information associated with the selected substrate. In step S 510 , the local controller  320  provides commands to the polishing tool  312  to process the substrate in accordance with the polishing recipe. 
         [0071]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an exemplary flow chart of an alternative method  600  of processing a substrate is provided. In step S 602 , the cleaning and polishing system  300  receives a substrate carrier  302 , including one or more substrates, In step S 604 , a substrate is removed from the substrate carrier  302  and a substrate identification code  402  inscribed on the surface of the substrate is detected (e.g., by an optical detection device, for example) and read. The local controller  320  then transmits, in step S 606 , a request to the MCS  322  to obtain edge profile information associated with the substrate, the request including the identification code  402  of the substrate. In step S 608 , the MCS  322  accesses an edge profile information database and retrieves the edge profile information associated with the substrate, using the substrate identification code  402 . The MCS  322  then transmits the edge profile information associated with the substrate to the local controller  320  in step S 610 . In step S 612 , the local controller  320  determines a polishing recipe to apply to the substrate, based on the edge profile information. Then in step S 614 , the local controller  320  provides commands to the polishing tool  312  to process the substrate in accordance with the polishing recipe. 
         [0072]    The foregoing description discloses only exemplary embodiments of the invention. Modifications of the above disclosed apparatus and methods which fall within the scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For instance, although the inventive methods herein have been described with reference to a cleaning and polishing system, the concepts apply equally to stand alone tools (e.g., a stand-alone polishing tool). Furthermore, other electronic device manufacturing processes may be sensitive to differences in substrate edge profiles. The methods described herein may be applied to these other processes, for example, to identify edge profiles of substrates and to provide processing recipes tailored to specific substrate edge profiles. 
         [0073]    Additionally, although only examples of cleaning a round substrate are disclosed, the present invention could be modified to clean substrates having other shapes (e.g., a glass or polymer plate for flat panel displays). Further, although processing of a single substrate by the apparatus is shown above, in some embodiments, the cleaning and polishing system may process a plurality of substrates concurrently. 
         [0074]    Accordingly, while the present invention has been disclosed in connection with exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood that other embodiments may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.