US Patent 7495757 Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and wafer processing method

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a wafer processing method are disclosed. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprises a rotatable device for supporting a wafer. A sensor for irradiating a laser beam onto a surface of the wafer and a detector including a plurality of modules for detecting the laser beam reflected from the wafer are also included. The sensor obtains information regarding the wafer, based on a change in the surface status of the wafer, which the modules sense when the laser beam is reflected from the wafer.