Abstract: A control unit of a processing apparatus detects a linear region corresponding to a first planned dividing line from an intersection region of the first planned dividing line and a second planned dividing line, obtains an angle between the linear region and an X-axis direction, and positions the linear region corresponding to the first planned dividing line in the X-axis direction. A linear region corresponding to a next first planned dividing line is detected and an interval between the first planned dividing lines is set. A second planned dividing line interval setting section detects two linear regions corresponding to second planned dividing lines, the linear regions being adjacent to each other, and an interval is set between the second planned dividing lines. A device image enclosed by a pair of first planned dividing lines and a pair of second planned dividing lines is generated and stored.

Abstract: A dividing apparatus includes a table having a transparent plate having a holding surface for holding a workpiece thereon and a lower illumination unit for illuminating the holding surface from below, a first storage section for storing a first image including a white portion where illumination light from the lower illumination unit is transmitted through the workpiece and displayed as white and a black portion where the illumination light is blocked by the workpiece and displayed as black when an image of a kerf defined by a dividing unit in the workpiece held on the holding surface is captured by an image capturing unit with the lower illumination unit being energized, and a white pixel detecting section for detecting whether or not there are pixels in the white portion of the first image in directions perpendicular to directions along which a street extends.

Abstract: A wafer processing method includes a pattern region detecting step, an evaluation region setting step, and an evaluation region deploying step. The pattern region detecting step is a step of detecting a period and positional information in which a substantially identical image appears in an imaged image and detecting a pattern region corresponding to one period. The evaluation region setting step is a step of detecting a position in which no metallic pattern is formed on planned dividing lines and setting the position as an evaluation region for evaluating quality of a processed groove. The evaluation region deploying step is a step of recording the position of the evaluation region in the pattern region and deploying the evaluation region at similar positions in different pattern regions.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a laser beam applying unit for applying a laser beam to a workpiece, an image capturing unit for producing a captured image of the workpiece that includes a captured image of light emitted from the workpiece when the laser beam is applied to the workpiece by the laser beam applying unit, and a control unit. The laser beam applying unit includes a laser oscillator for emitting a laser beam and a condensing lens for converging the laser beam onto the workpiece. The control unit includes a determining section for determining a state of the laser beam applied to the workpiece, on the basis of the shape of the captured image of the light that is included in the captured image of the workpiece.

Abstract: A wafer processing method includes a pattern region detecting step, an evaluation region setting step, and an evaluation region deploying step. The pattern region detecting step is a step of detecting a period and positional information in which a substantially identical image appears in an imaged image and detecting a pattern region corresponding to one period. The evaluation region setting step is a step of detecting a position in which no metallic pattern is formed on planned dividing lines and setting the position as an evaluation region for evaluating quality of a processed groove. The evaluation region deploying step is a step of recording the position of the evaluation region in the pattern region and deploying the evaluation region at similar positions in different pattern regions.

Abstract: A dividing apparatus includes a table having a transparent plate having a holding surface for holding a workpiece thereon and a lower illumination unit for illuminating the holding surface from below, a first storage section for storing a first image including a white portion where illumination light from the lower illumination unit is transmitted through the workpiece and displayed as white and a black portion where the illumination light is blocked by the workpiece and displayed as black when an image of a kerf defined by a dividing unit in the workpiece held on the holding surface is captured by an image capturing unit with the lower illumination unit being energized, and a white pixel detecting section for detecting whether or not there are pixels in the white portion of the first image in directions perpendicular to directions along which a street extends.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a laser processing apparatus including a controller. The controller includes a target pattern detecting section performing matching between patterns formed in each device imaged and a key pattern to thereby detect a target pattern included in each device, a spacing detecting section detecting the spacing in a Y direction between the target pattern and an ablation groove formed along each division line by ablation, and a map creating section creating a map showing the spacing in the Y direction between each target pattern and the ablation groove for the plural devices arranged along the ablation groove.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of laser processing apparatus includes a pulse laser beam oscillating unit, a condenser that condenses a pulse laser beam and emits the beam to a workpiece held by a chuck table, a dichroic mirror disposed between the pulse laser beam oscillating unit and the condenser, a strobe light irradiation unit that emits light to a path on which the dichroic mirror and the condenser are disposed, a beam splitter disposed between the strobe light irradiation unit and the dichroic mirror, and an imaging unit disposed on the path of light split by the beam splitter. A controller actuates the strobe light irradiation unit and the imaging unit according to the timing of the pulse laser beam, and detects the width of a laser-processed groove immediately after emission of the pulse laser beam on the basis of an image signal from the imaging unit.

Abstract: A processing method of a package wafer includes a mold resin removal step of exposing grooves filled with a mold resin of the package wafer in a peripheral surplus region, a holding step of holding the package wafer in such a manner that the grooves are exposed, an orientation adjustment step of causing the grooves to be parallel to a processing-feed direction in which processing feeding of a chuck table is carried out when dividing grooves are formed, a coordinate registration step of imaging both ends of the plural grooves exposed at a peripheral edge and registering coordinate information of both ends or a single side of the grooves from taken images, and a dividing groove forming step of calculating the positions of the dividing grooves to be formed along the grooves based on the registered coordinate information of the grooves and forming the dividing grooves along the grooves.

Abstract: A processing method of a package wafer includes a mold resin removal step of exposing grooves filled with a mold resin of the package wafer in a peripheral surplus region, a holding step of holding the package wafer in such a manner that the grooves are exposed, an orientation adjustment step of causing the grooves to be parallel to a processing-feed direction in which processing feeding of a chuck table is carried out when dividing grooves are formed, a coordinate registration step of imaging both ends of the plural grooves exposed at a peripheral edge and registering coordinate information of both ends or a single side of the grooves from taken images, and a dividing groove forming step of calculating the positions of the dividing grooves to be formed along the grooves based on the registered coordinate information of the grooves and forming the dividing grooves along the grooves.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a wafer processing method including a processed position measuring step of imaging an area including a beam plasma generated by applying a pulsed laser beam to a wafer, by using an imaging unit during the formation of a laser processed groove on the wafer, and next measuring the positional relation between the position of the beam plasma and a preset processing position. Accordingly, it is possible to check whether or not the laser processed groove is formed at a desired position, in real time during laser processing. If the position of the laser processed groove is deviated, the processed position can be immediately corrected.

Abstract: A wafer processing method including the steps of storing information on the intervals and positions of metal patterns formed on part of division lines on a wafer into a storage unit of a cutting apparatus, detecting the division lines, forming a cut groove along each division line by using a cutting blade, imaging an area including the cut groove at any position where the metal patterns are not formed, by using an imaging unit included in the cutting apparatus, according to the information on the intervals and positions of the metal patterns previously stored, during the step of forming the cut grooves, and measuring the positional relation between the position of the cut groove and a preset cutting position. Accordingly, kerf check can be performed without being influenced by burrs produced from the metal patterns in cutting the wafer, so that the wafer can be cut with high accuracy.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a pulse laser oscillator, a condenser which converges and irradiates a pulse laser beam upon a workpiece held on a chuck table, a dichroic mirror disposed between the pulse laser oscillator and the condenser, a strobo flash irradiation unit which irradiates light on a route of the dichroic mirror and the condenser, a beam splitter disposed between the strobo flash irradiation unit and the dichroic mirror, and an image pickup unit disposed on the route of the light split by the beam splitter. A control unit renders the strobo flash irradiation unit and the image pickup unit operative in a timed relationship with the pulse laser beam oscillated from the pulse laser beam oscillator and irradiated upon the workpiece and detects a processed state on the basis of an image signal from the image pickup unit.

Abstract: A wafer processing method including the steps of storing information on the intervals and positions of metal patterns formed on part of division lines on a wafer into a storage unit of a cutting apparatus, detecting the division lines, forming a cut groove along each division line by using a cutting blade, imaging an area including the cut groove at any position where the metal patterns are not formed, by using an imaging unit included in the cutting apparatus, according to the information on the intervals and positions of the metal patterns previously stored, during the step of forming the cut grooves, and measuring the positional relation between the position of the cut groove and a preset cutting position. Accordingly, kerf check can be performed without being influenced by burrs produced from the metal patterns in cutting the wafer, so that the wafer can be cut with high accuracy.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a wafer processing method including a processed position measuring step of imaging an area including a beam plasma generated by applying a pulsed laser beam to a wafer, by using an imaging unit during the formation of a laser processed groove on the wafer, and next measuring the positional relation between the position of the beam plasma and a preset processing position. Accordingly, it is possible to check whether or not the laser processed groove is formed at a desired position, in real time during laser processing. If the position of the laser processed groove is deviated, the processed position can be immediately corrected.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of laser processing apparatus includes a pulse laser beam oscillating unit, a condenser that condenses a pulse laser beam and emits the beam to a workpiece held by a chuck table, a dichroic mirror disposed between the pulse laser beam oscillating unit and the condenser, a strobe light irradiation unit that emits light to a path on which the dichroic mirror and the condenser are disposed, a beam splitter disposed between the strobe light irradiation unit and the dichroic mirror, and an imaging unit disposed on the path of light split by the beam splitter. A controller actuates the strobe light irradiation unit and the imaging unit according to the timing of the pulse laser beam, and detects the width of a laser-processed groove immediately after emission of the pulse laser beam on the basis of an image signal from the imaging unit.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a laser processing apparatus including a controller. The controller includes a target pattern detecting section performing matching between patterns formed in each device imaged and a key pattern to thereby detect a target pattern included in each device, a spacing detecting section detecting the spacing in a Y direction between the target pattern and an ablation groove formed along each division line by ablation, and a map creating section creating a map showing the spacing in the Y direction between each target pattern and the ablation groove for the plural devices arranged along the ablation groove.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a pulse laser oscillator, a condenser which converges and irradiates a pulse laser beam upon a workpiece held on a chuck table, a dichroic mirror disposed between the pulse laser oscillator and the condenser, a strobo flash irradiation unit which irradiates light on a route of the dichroic mirror and the condenser, a beam splitter disposed between the strobo flash irradiation unit and the dichroic mirror, and an image pickup unit disposed on the route of the light split by the beam splitter. A control unit renders the strobo flash irradiation unit and the image pickup unit operative in a timed relationship with the pulse laser beam oscillated from the pulse laser beam oscillator and irradiated upon the workpiece and detects a processed state on the basis of an image signal from the image pickup unit.

Abstract: A method of detecting a condensing spot position in a laser beam processing apparatus, including: a detection position setting step of setting a plurality of Z-axis directional positions in a range from a starting point to an ending point of detection positions into which the condenser is positioned; a laser beam processed groove forming step of sequentially positioning the condenser into the detection positions in the range from the starting point to the ending point, performing a predetermined interval indexing feeding by operating indexing feeding means each time the detection position for the condenser is changed, and forming a laser beam processed groove of a predetermined length in the plate-shaped body at each of the detection positions for the condenser; and a laser beam processed groove imaging step of imaging the laser beam processed grooves formed in the plate-shaped body by imaging means.

Abstract: A method of detecting a condensing spot position in a laser beam processing apparatus, including: a detection position setting step of setting a plurality of Z-axis directional positions in a range from a starting point to an ending point of detection positions into which the condenser is positioned; a laser beam processed groove forming step of sequentially positioning the condenser into the detection positions in the range from the starting point to the ending point, performing a predetermined interval indexing feeding by operating indexing feeding means each time the detection position for the condenser is changed, and forming a laser beam processed groove of a predetermined length in the plate-shaped body at each of the detection positions for the condenser; and a laser beam processed groove imaging step of imaging the laser beam processed grooves formed in the plate-shaped body by imaging means.