Substrate bonding apparatus and substrate bonding method

Abstract

To improve the throughput of substrate bonding. A substrate bonding apparatus that bonds first and second substrates so that contact regions in which the first and second substrates contact are formed in parts of the first and second substrates and the contact regions enlarge from the parts, the apparatus including: a detecting unit detecting information about the contact regions; and a determining unit determining that the first and second substrates can be carried out based on the information detected at the detecting unit. In the substrate bonding apparatus, the information may be information, a value of which changes according to progress of enlargement of the contact regions, and the determining unit may determine that the first and second substrates can be carried out if the value becomes constant or if a rate of changes in the value becomes lower than a predetermined value.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate bonding apparatus that bonds a first substrate and a second substrate so that contact regions in which the first substrate and the second substrate contact are formed in parts of the first substrate and the second substrate and the contact regions enlarge from the parts, the substrate bonding apparatus comprising:
 a detecting unit that detects information about the contact regions; and   a determining unit that determines that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out based on the information detected at the detecting unit.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the information is information, a value of which changes according to progress of enlargement of the contact regions, and   the determining unit determines that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out if the value becomes constant or if a rate of changes in the value becomes lower than a predetermined value.   
     
     
         3 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the information includes information about a change in an optical characteristic of at least one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate in a course of enlargement of the contact regions, and   the determining unit determines that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out if the change in the optical characteristic meets a predetermined condition.   
     
     
         4 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the information includes information about a change in reflectance of light in the at least one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate. 
     
     
         5 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the information includes information about a change in luminance in a captured image of the at least one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate. 
     
     
         6 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the information includes information about a change in a luminous flux blocked by the at least one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the determining unit determines that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out if the optical characteristic becomes constant or if a rate of changes therein becomes lower than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         8 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the information includes at least one of information about a change in distance between the first substrate and the second substrate and information about a change in distance between at least one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate and a holding unit holding the at least one substrate. 
     
     
         9 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the determining unit determines that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out if a value of the distance becomes constant or if a rate of changes therein becomes lower than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         10 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the information includes information about a change in an electrical characteristic in at least one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate. 
     
     
         11 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the information includes information about a change in capacitance between the first substrate and the second substrate. 
     
     
         12 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the information is information about a boundary between non-contact regions in which the first substrate and the second substrate are not contacting and the contact regions,   the contact regions enlarge as the boundary moves toward circumferential portions of the first substrate and the second substrate, and   the determining unit determines that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out if a position of the boundary reaches a predetermined position.   
     
     
         13 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined position is a circumferential portion of at least one substrate among the first substrate and the second substrate. 
     
     
         14 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the information includes information about a shape of the contact regions, and   the determining unit determines that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out if the shape becomes a predetermined shape.   
     
     
         15 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the information is a progress speed at which the contact regions enlarge, and   the determining unit predicts a time at which bonding of the first substrate and the second substrate is completed based on the progress speed.   
     
     
         16 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the detecting unit detects bonding force of the contact regions formed in the parts, and   if it is determined that the bonding force is predetermined bonding force, the determining unit starts enlargement of the contact regions.   
     
     
         17 . The substrate bonding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines presence or absence of abnormality in bonding of the first substrate and the second substrate based on a result of detection by the detecting unit. 
     
     
         18 . A substrate bonding method of bonding a first substrate and a second substrate so that contact regions in which the first substrate and the second substrate contact are formed in parts of the first substrate and the second substrate and the contact regions enlarge from the parts, the substrate bonding method comprising:
 detecting information about the contact regions; and   determining that the first substrate and the second substrate can be carried out based on the information detected at the detecting.