Abstract: A resin sealing sheet is cut into an adhesive sheet piece having an outer shape smaller than that of a wafer. The adhesive sheet piece is joined to a supporting adhesive tape together with a ring frame. The adhesive tape between the ring frame and the adhesive sheet piece is sandwiched by upper and lower housings to form a chamber. The wafer with a support board placed on a wafer holding table within the chamber faces to the adhesive sheet piece closely. The chamber is divided into two spaces by the adhesive tape. Differential pressure generated within the two spaces causes the adhesive tape and the adhesive sheet piece to cave and bend toward the wafer, whereby the adhesive sheet piece is joined to the wafer.

Abstract: A strip adhesive tape except for a portion on a notch of a wafer W is cut by contacting a cutter of a first cutting mechanism along an outer periphery of the wafer. The adhesive tape cut out into a wafer shape is reeled and collected while being separated. Thereafter, the wafer with the adhesive tape is transported to a second cutting mechanism. The second cutting mechanism cuts out the portion of the adhesive tape on the notch with a cutter having the same shape as that of the notch.

Abstract: A resin sealing sheet is cut into an adhesive sheet piece having an outer shape smaller than that of a wafer. The adhesive sheet piece is joined to a supporting adhesive tape together with a ring frame. The adhesive tape between the ring frame and the adhesive sheet piece is sandwiched by upper and lower housings to form a chamber. The wafer with a support board placed on a wafer holding table within the chamber faces to the adhesive sheet piece closely. The chamber is divided into two spaces by the adhesive tape. Differential pressure generated within the two spaces causes the adhesive tape and the adhesive sheet piece to cave and bend toward the wafer, whereby the adhesive sheet piece is joined to the wafer.

Abstract: Tape heating means is allowed to come close to an adhesive tape for support and, in a heating state, the adhesive tape for support is stretched and tensioned with proper tension in a tape width direction and a transport direction. A heated work is bonded to an adhesive face of the tensioned adhesive tape for support, thereby supporting the work.

Abstract: Tape heating means is allowed to come close to an adhesive tape for support and, in a heating state, the adhesive tape for support is stretched and tensioned with proper tension in a tape width direction and a transport direction. A heated work is bonded to an adhesive face of the tensioned adhesive tape for support, thereby supporting the work.

Abstract: A cutter blade is cut-in by being moved towards a deep part of a notch from one open end of the notch while being moved in a forward direction with respect to an outer periphery of a wafer. Immediately before a blade edge reaches the deep part of the notch, cutting movement of the cutter blade is once stopped, reversely moved to a initial piercing position, and thereafter, the cutter blade is moved towards the deep part of the notch from the other open end of the notch while being moved in a reverse direction with respect to the outer periphery of the wafer.

Abstract: Tape heating means is allowed to come close to an adhesive tape for support and, in a heating state, the adhesive tape for support is stretched and tensioned with proper tension in a tape width direction and a transport direction. A heated work is bonded to an adhesive face of the tensioned adhesive tape for support, thereby supporting the work.

Abstract: A cutter blade movably in a radial direction of a wafer is pressed for biasing to an outer circumferential edge of the semiconductor wafer. Simultaneously, the pushing biasing force of the cutter blade is controlled constant with automatic regulation corresponding to a traveling speed variation of the cutter blade, so that effect of a centrifugal force that works at the time of rotating travel of the cutter blade may not vary a pushing biasing force of the cutter blade. As a result, a contact pressure of the cutter blade to the outer circumferential edge of the semiconductor wafer is maintained stable.

Abstract: A chuck table is configured with a table main body having a wafer placement part holding a wafer placed thereon, and an annular tape support frame provided outside the wafer placement part with a cutter blade traveling groove being interposed therebetween. The tape support frame has, at a top face thereof, a plurality of linear grooves arranged in parallel in a tape joining direction, a large number of linear tape support parts each located between the linear grooves, and an annular tape support part supporting the protective tape at an outer side of the cutter blade traveling groove.

Abstract: In a method for releasing a work having an adhesive tape from a holding member which sucks and holds the work having the adhesive tape, the work having the adhesive tape is released from the holding member while supplying a gas which reduces a holding force of the holding member between the holding member and the work having the adhesive tape.

Abstract: An outer edge of a protective tape projected from a semiconductor wafer is fixed and held by a tape holding section. In the condition, a part of the projected protective tape is caught and supported with a tape supporting section with a face having lower adhesive property provided in the outside of the traveling groove for the cutter. Furthermore, the part of the protective tape having the outer edge fixed and held with the tape holding section is compulsorily deformed and inserted into a depression provided between the tape holding section and the tape supporting section. Thereby, the part of the protective tape located in a traveling groove for the cutter is tensioned outward. A cutter blade is stuck into this tensioned part, and cuts the protective tape all over the peripheries of the wafer.

Abstract: During relative and horizontal movement of a mount frame, in which a semiconductor wafer with a protective tape is supported on a ring frame through a supporting adhesive tape, and a joining member, a position of an end edge of the protective tape is detected in a non-contact manner. Based on the detection result, a joining member is stopped in the position of the end edge of the protective tape and is moved close to the semiconductor wafer to press and bring a separation tape against and into contact with an end of the protective tape. In this state, the mount frame and the joining member are relatively and horizontally moved to join the separation tape onto the protective tape. Then, the mount frame and the joining member are relatively and horizontally moved to separate the separation tape together with the protective tape from a surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A chuck table is configured with a table main body having a wafer placement part holding a wafer placed thereon, and an annular tape support frame provided outside the wafer placement part with a cutter blade traveling groove being interposed therebetween. The tape support frame has, at a top face thereof, a plurality of linear grooves arranged in parallel in a tape joining direction, a large number of linear tape support parts each located between the linear grooves, and an annular tape support part supporting the protective tape at an outer side of the cutter blade traveling groove.

Abstract: A cutter blade is cut-in by being moved towards a deep part of a notch from one open end of the notch while being moved in a forward direction with respect to an outer periphery of a wafer. Immediately before a blade edge reaches the deep part of the notch, cutting movement of the cutter blade is once stopped, reversely moved to a initial piercing position, and thereafter, the cutter blade is moved towards the deep part of the notch from the other open end of the notch while being moved in a reverse direction with respect to the outer periphery of the wafer.

Abstract: The ultraviolet ray is applied on the surface of the protective tape from an ultraviolet ray generator. In addition, the ultraviolet ray having intensity higher than that from the ultraviolet ray generator is applied on spot on the wafer edge by an irradiation gun. In this case, the ultraviolet ray intensity and the rotation speed of the holding table are controlled by a controller so that the ultraviolet irradiation amount per unit area of the wafer edge portion becomes equal to that to the joining surface of the protective tape.

Abstract: In a method for releasing a work having an adhesive tape from a holding member which sucks and holds the work having the adhesive tape, the work having the adhesive tape is released from the holding member while supplying a gas which reduces a holding force of the holding member between the holding member and the work having the adhesive tape.

Abstract: An outer edge of a protective tape projected from a semiconductor wafer is fixed and held by a tape holding section. In the condition, a part of the projected protective tape is caught and supported with a tape supporting section with a face having lower adhesive property provided in the outside of the traveling groove for the cutter. Furthermore, the part of the protective tape having the outer edge fixed and held with the tape holding section is compulsorily deformed and inserted into a depression provided between the tape holding section and the tape supporting section. Thereby, the part of the protective tape located in a traveling groove for the cutter is tensioned outward.

Abstract: In a method for releasing a work having an adhesive tape from a holding member which sucks and holds the work having the adhesive tape, the work having the adhesive tape is released from the holding member while supplying a gas which reduces a holding force of the holding member between the holding member and the work having the adhesive tape.

Abstract: A cutter blade movably in a radial direction of a wafer is pressed for biasing to an outer circumferential edge of the semiconductor wafer. Simultaneously, the pushing biasing force of the cutter blade is controlled constant with automatic regulation corresponding to a traveling speed variation of the cutter blade, so that effect of a centrifugal force that works at the time of rotating travel of the cutter blade may not vary a pushing biasing force of the cutter blade. As a result, a contact pressure of the cutter blade to the outer circumferential edge of the semiconductor wafer is maintained stable.

Abstract: Tape heating means is allowed to come close to an adhesive tape for support and, in a heating state, the adhesive tape for support is stretched and tensioned with proper tension in a tape width direction and a transport direction. A heated work is bonded to an adhesive face of the tensioned adhesive tape for support, thereby supporting the work.