Abstract: A protective member forming apparatus configured to spread a liquid resin, cure the liquid resin and form a protect member on an entire surface of a wafer on one side includes a sheet holder to hold a sheet, a wafer holder to locate the wafer to face the sheet holder and hold the wafer thereat, a liquid resin feeding nozzle to feed the liquid resin onto the sheet held by the sheet holder or onto the wafer held by the wafer holder, a lift/lower device to lift or lower the sheet holder and the wafer holder relatively, a first emitter to emit electromagnetic waves to the liquid resin and cure the liquid resin, and a second emitter to emit UV rays or plasma at a surface of the sheet held by the sheet holder and improve wettability of the surface of the sheet.

Abstract: A substrate dividing method includes preparing a substrate that is formed with division start points along streets and that has a protective sheet attached to a surface on one side thereof and rolling a roller on a surface on the other side of the substrate, to attach an expanding tape. Next, suction by a holding table is cancelled, and, in a state in which a slight gap is formed between a holding surface of the holding table and the protective sheet, the roller is brought into contact with the expanding tape and rolled, thereby extending cracks extending from the division start points while causing the substrate to sink into the gap through the protective sheet with the division start points as starting points, and the expanding tape is expanded to widen the chip intervals with the division start points as starting points.

Abstract: A laser processing method includes forming a first processing mark to form an origin of dividing or a dividing groove with a laser beam in a first direction, and forming a second processing mark by forming an origin of dividing or a dividing groove with the laser beam in a second direction that intersects the first direction. An unprocessed region in which the processing is not executed remains at an intersection at which the first direction and the second direction intersect each other. The method further includes processing the unprocessed region. The unprocessed region processing step forms a coupling processing mark that couples the first processing mark and the second processing mark to each other to form an origin of dividing or a dividing groove with the laser beam in a direction arising from setting an inclination with respect to the first direction or the second direction.

Abstract: A tape roll includes a cylindrical core, a strip-shaped tape wound on the core, and a marking portion that represents type information of the strip-shaped tape and that is applied to an inner peripheral surface of the core. Preferably, the type information of the strip-shaped tape includes at least one piece of type information selected from a group consisting of a width, a length, a material, an adhesive force, and a shelf life of the tape, and the marking portion has slots or an identification code representing the at least one piece of type information. A tape mounter for bonding, to a workpiece, the tape which is wound on the core of the tape roll is also disclosed.

Abstract: There is provided a diamond wafer dividing method used when the diamond wafer having a front surface along the {100} plane is divided at planned dividing lines along the <110> direction. The dividing method includes a first modified layer forming step of forming a first modified layer at a linear first region along the planned dividing line, inside the diamond wafer, a second modified layer forming step of forming a second modified layer at a linear second region shifted from the first region in the width direction and the thickness direction with respect to the front surface, and a dividing step of dividing the diamond wafer along the planned dividing lines by giving a force to the diamond wafer in which the first modified layer and the second modified layer are formed.

Abstract: Energy is locally supplied to a cutting surface that is formed in an outer circumferential region of a wafer in a trimming step, before a grinding step of grinding the wafer. This can remove or repair at least part of a damage layer formed in the outer circumferential region of the wafer due to the trimming step. As a result, breakage of the wafer that originates from the outer circumferential region in the grinding of the wafer which has been subjected to the edge trimming and generation of dust in a step after this grinding can be suppressed.

Abstract: A processing method for processing a single-crystal silicon wafer that has a first surface and a second surface formed in such a manner that a specific crystal plane included in a crystal plane {100} is exposed in each of the first and second surfaces and has devices formed in the respective regions marked out by planned dividing lines in the first surface. The method includes forming dividing origins along each planned dividing line, forming a separation layer along the crystal plane of the second surface through relatively moving a focal point and the wafer along a first direction that is parallel to the crystal plane of the second surface and in which an acute angle formed between the first direction and the crystal orientation <100> is equal to or smaller than 5°, and separating the wafer into a first-surface-side wafer including devices and a second-surface-side wafer including no devices.

Abstract: A hard wafer grinding method includes a rough grinding step of forming a section along the diameter of a hard wafer into a centrally recessed shape by roughly grinding the hard wafer such that a central part of the hard wafer is thinner than a peripheral part of the hard wafer, a finish grinding step of expanding a ground area of the hard wafer from the peripheral part in an annular shape to the central part while dressing lower surfaces of finish grinding stones by the peripheral part of the hard wafer of the centrally recessed shape after the rough grinding, then setting the whole of a radius part of the hard wafer as the ground area, and further finish-grinding the hard wafer so as to obtain a predetermined thickness.

Abstract: An edge trimming method for removing a chamfered portion on an outer periphery of a grinding-object wafer in a bonded wafer is provided. The method includes a holding process to hold the bonded wafer on a chuck table, a finishing-grindstone mark forming process to form a finishing-grindstone mark in the grinding-object wafer with the finishing grindstone, a finishing-grindstone mark height measuring process to measure a height of a bottom of the finishing-grindstone mark with a height measurer, a finishing-grindstone height calculating process to calculate a height of the finishing grindstone based on the measured height of the bottom, a rough-grinding process to lower the rough grindstone and rotate the bonded wafer to roughly grind the grinding-object wafer with the rough grindstone, and a finish-grinding process to lower the finishing grindstone to the calculated height and rotate the bonded wafer to finely grind the grinding-object wafer with the finishing grindstone.

Abstract: A positioning method includes detecting coordinates (X11, Y11) of a rotation center on a surface of a holding table with a first image capturing unit and stores the detected coordinates as a new first reference position, detecting coordinates (X21, Y21) of a rotation center on another surface of the holding table with a second image capturing unit and stores the detected coordinates as a new second reference position, calculating a first deviation between a previous rotation center on the surface of the holding table and the coordinates (X11, Y11), calculating a second deviation between a previous rotation center on the other surface of the holding table and the coordinates (X21, Y21), correcting a coordinate system of images captured by the first image capturing unit to eliminate the first deviation, and correcting a coordinate system of images captured by the second image capturing unit to eliminate the second deviation.

Abstract: Apparatus for inspecting the tension of a tape adhered to an annular frame having, in the center thereof, an opening for accommodating a wafer includes: a frame support section that supports the annular frame, a light source that applies light toward the tape, an imaging camera that captures, through the tape, the light applied from the light source, a first polarizing plate disposed between the tape and the light source, and a second polarizing plate disposed between the tape and the imaging camera and positioned so as to shield the light of linearly polarized light transmitted through the first polarizing plate. If distortion is generated in a polarization plane of the light due to application, onto the tape, of the light of the linearly polarized light transmitted through the first polarizing plate, the light is transmitted through the second polarizing plate, and the imaging camera images the transmitted light.

Abstract: A grinding method for grinding a workpiece by use of a grinding apparatus including a holding table that holds the workpiece by a holding surface, and a grinding unit that grinds the workpiece held by the holding table by a grinding wheel having a plurality of grindstones arranged in an annular pattern includes a groove forming step of grinding the workpiece by bringing the grindstones into contact with the workpiece to form the workpiece with an arcuate groove having a depth of less than a finished thickness of the workpiece, and a grinding step of bringing the grindstones into contact with a surface side of the workpiece where the groove is formed to grind the workpiece until the thickness of the workpiece becomes the finished thickness.

Abstract: A measuring unit of a measuring apparatus includes a light source that emits light in a predetermined wavelength region, a condenser lens that applies the light emitted by the light source, to a plate-shaped workpiece held by a chuck table, a collimating lens that forms return light reflected by the plate-shaped workpiece into parallel light, a transmission filter that transmits interference light of the return light formed into the parallel light, a sensor that has coordinates for receiving the interference light transmitted through the transmission filter and detecting light intensity, and a controller that determines a coordinate position at which the light intensity detected by the sensor is high, as the thickness or height of the plate-shaped workpiece.

Abstract: There is provided a manufacturing method of a wafer. The manufacturing method of a wafer includes a preparation step of preparing a wafer that includes a substrate and a stacked body disposed on the front surface side of the substrate and that has a device region and an outer circumferential surplus region, the device region having a plurality of devices disposed in a plurality of regions marked out by a plurality of planned dividing lines arranged to intersect each other, the outer circumferential surplus region surrounding the device region, and a laser processed groove forming step of forming laser processed grooves along the planned dividing lines through executing irradiation with a first laser beam with a wavelength having absorbability with respect to the stacked body, along the planned dividing lines from the side of the stacked body of the wafer.

Abstract: A dryness detection method of detecting dryness of a liquid resin composition containing a solvent. The dryness detection method includes a wavelength selection step of selecting a light absorption wavelength of the solvent, a light source selection step of selecting a light source that emits light including light of the selected wavelength, a light receiving step of applying the light that has been emitted from the light source to the liquid resin composition, and receiving light that has passed through the liquid resin composition, and a determination step of finding whether or not the light of the selected wavelength after absorption in the solvent in the light receiving step exceeds in quantity a predetermined threshold, and if the threshold is found to be exceeded, determining that the solvent has evaporated and the liquid resin composition has dried. A dryness determination apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A wafer processing method includes sticking an adhesive tape to the front surface of a wafer, disposing a thermocompression bonding sheet on the adhesive tape stuck to the front surface of the wafer. The thermocompression bonding sheet is heated and pressed by a flat member to execute pressure bonding of the thermocompression bonding sheet to the adhesive tape and integrate the thermocompression bonding sheet with the wafer. The processing method also includes holding the side of the thermocompression bonding sheet on a chuck table of a grinding apparatus and grinding the wafer into a desired thickness while supplying grinding water to the back surface of the wafer. The integrated wafer is separated from the chuck table and the thermocompression bonding sheet is separated from the adhesive tape.

Abstract: A cutting apparatus for cutting a workpiece includes a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece thereon, a cutting unit having a spindle with a cutting blade mounted on a distal end thereof for cutting the workpiece held on the holding surface, an image capturing unit for capturing an image of an outer circumferential portion of the cutting blade mounted on the cutting unit, and a determining section for determining the orientation of the cutting blade. The outer circumferential portion of the cutting blade includes a plurality of protrusions each having a first surface for scraping swarf off from the workpiece when the cutting blade cuts the workpiece and a second surface connected to the first surface. The determining section determines the orientation of the cutting blade mounted on the cutting unit, according to an image captured of the protrusions by the image capturing unit.

Abstract: A grinding apparatus includes a holding table that holds a wafer, a grinding unit that grinds an exposed surface of the wafer held by the holding table, a detecting unit that detects a physical quantity used for determination of the state of exposure of a separation surface of the wafer, and a control unit having an exposure determining unit that determines the state of exposure of the separation surface on the basis of the physical quantity detected by the detecting unit.

Abstract: An expanding apparatus includes a frame fixing part that fixes an annular frame of a workpiece unit, a holding table that holds a workpiece, an expanding unit that expands a sheet, a heating unit that heats the sheet between an outer circumferential side of the workpiece and an inner circumferential edge of the annular frame, and a cover that covers the workpiece held by the holding table. The cover covers the workpiece when the sheet is heated by the heating unit.

Abstract: Provided is a back grinding adhesive sheet which can adequately protect protrusions provided to a semiconductor wafer, and with which back grinding can be adequately performed. The present invention provides a back grinding adhesive sheet for a semiconductor wafer having protrusions, the back grinding adhesive sheet comprising a non-adhesive cushion layer, and an adhesive layer provided on the cushion layer. The adhesive layer has an opening with a smaller diameter than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer, and the outer edge of the semiconductor wafer is adhered to the adhesive layer such that the protrusions on the semiconductor wafer are positioned inside the opening. The protrusions are protected by the cushion layer when the semiconductor wafer is in the state of being adhered to the adhesive layer. The adhesive sheet satisfies at least one of the following conditions (1)-(2).