Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an adhesive sheet for back grinding capable of enhance followability of a base material layer to a convex part of a semiconductor wafer. According to the present invention, provided is an adhesive sheet for back grinding of a semiconductor wafer having a convex part, comprising: a base material layer; and an adhesive layer provided on the base material layer, wherein: the adhesive layer comprises an opening part having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the semiconductor wafer; the adhesive layer is adhered to an outer peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer such shat the convex part of the semiconductor wafer is placed in the opening part; the adhesive layer is configured so that the convex part is protected by the base material layer with the semiconductor wafer adhered to the adhesive layer; the base material layer comprises a cushion layer and a barrier layer; and an oxygen permeability of the base material layer at 25° C.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a cassette mounting section mounting a cassette storing a plurality of workpieces, a reading section reading an identification code provided on the cassette mounted on the cassette mounting section, and an information transmitting section transmitting information on the progress of process steps in processing each workpiece stored in the cassette, to a customer that has ordered the processing of each workpiece stored in the cassette.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a laser beam applying unit for applying a laser beam to a workpiece, and a control unit. The laser beam applying unit includes a laser oscillator for emitting a laser, a condensing lens, a concave mirror having a focal point at a focused spot of the condensing lens and having a spherical reflecting surface, a beam splitter for transmitting therethrough the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator toward the condensing lens and branching off a reflected beam, and a wavefront measuring unit for receiving the reflected beam and acquiring wavefront data. The control unit changes a phase pattern to be displayed on a display portion of a spatial light modulator on the basis of the wavefront data.

Abstract: A workpiece surface is polished by a polishing pad surface by keeping a point on an outer circumferential edge of the workpiece surface at predetermined coordinates, i.e., first coordinates, in a plane parallel to the workpiece surface but out of contact with the polishing pad surface, and keeping a point on the outer circumferential edge of the polishing pad surface at other coordinates, i.e., third coordinates, in the coordinate plane in contact with an outer circumferential edge of the workpiece surface. In this manner, the workpiece surface is polished in its entirety, and a region of the polishing pad surface in the vicinity of the outer circumferential edge thereof can be worn to the same degree as a region that is located inwardly of the above region. The polishing pad surface is thus prevented from developing a stepped profile due to the polishing of the workpiece surface.

Abstract: A conveying unit of a processing apparatus includes a clamping section that clamps a workpiece, and a conveying arm that enables the clamping section to be moved in a height direction and in directions of advancing toward and retracting away from a cassette. The clamping section includes a support section that supports a lower surface of the workpiece, a presser section that makes contact with an upper surface of the workpiece and clamps the workpiece between itself and the support section, and a driving unit that relatively moves the support section and the presser section away from and toward each other. The conveying unit further includes a light reflection type sensor that irradiates the workpiece accommodated in the cassette with light, the light reflection type sensor being fixed to the clamping section and being disposed at a same height as a height when the clamping section clamps the workpiece.

Abstract: A fixed temperature liquid supply apparatus for supplying liquid adjusted in temperature to a processing apparatus including a processing unit includes a tank that accommodates the liquid, a thermometer that measures the temperature of the liquid accommodated in the tank, and a compressed gas supply pipe one end of which is connected to a compressed gas source reserving a compressed gas, the other end of which reaches the tank, and which supplies the compressed gas from the compressed gas source to the tank. The liquid accommodated in the tank is cooled by bubbles of the compressed gas, and the cooled liquid is supplied to the processing apparatus.

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing method for manufacturing a wafer from an ingot includes forming a peeling layer within the ingot by positioning a condensing point at a depth corresponding to the thickness of the wafer to be produced, and irradiating the ingot with a first laser beam, forming a character, a number, or a mark representing information regarding resistivity in or on the ingot by positioning a condensing point in a region in which devices are not to be formed and irradiating the ingot with a second laser beam, and dividing the ingot with the peeling layer as a starting point.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiating unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator, a mirror configured to reflect a laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator and propagate the laser beam to a processing point, a power measuring unit configured to measure power of leakage light of the laser beam transmitted without being reflected by the mirror, and a condensing lens configured to condense the laser beam propagated by the mirror and irradiate a workpiece with the condensed laser beam. The control unit measures the power of the leakage light of the laser beam by the power measuring unit while irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam.

Abstract: A fine adjustment thread assembly couples a first part and a second part to each other while keeping the first part and the second part spaced apart, adjusts the distance between the first part and the second part, and detects a load applied to the second part. The assembly includes first external threads that can be brought into threaded engagement with first internal threads formed in the first part, second external threads that are axially spaced from the first external threads, that have a thread pitch different from that of the first internal thread, and that can be brought into threaded engagement with second internal threads formed in the second part. A joint portion between the first external threads and the second external threads houses a load sensor under a compressive load.

Abstract: A device chip manufacturing method for dividing a silicon wafer formed with devices in each of regions of a front surface partitioned by a plurality of streets includes coating the front surface of the silicon wafer with a resist film, exposing the silicon wafer by removing the resist film in regions along the streets, forming deep grooves by alternately repeating isotropic etching and coating with a passivation film, and subjecting bottom portions of the deep grooves to anisotropic etching to form division grooves, thereby dividing the silicon wafer.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus includes a spinner table for holding a workpiece thereon, a cleaning nozzle for supplying cleaning water to the workpiece held on the spinner table, an ultrasonic vibrator for applying ultrasonic vibrations to the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the workpiece, a water layer forming unit for forming a layer of the cleaning water in a clearance between the cleaning nozzle and the workpiece, the water layer forming unit having a cover surrounding the cleaning nozzle, and a drain unit for draining the cleaning water out of the cleaning apparatus, the drain unit having a flow channel for allowing the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the workpiece to flow therethrough.

Abstract: A workpiece processing method includes: a dresser preparing step of preparing a dresser of a predetermined thickness; a fixing step of fixing the workpiece and the dresser on a support member adjacently to each other in a first direction; a holding step of holding the support member by a holding table, after the fixing step is performed; and a cutting step of positioning a tool edge of the cutting blade at a predetermined height and cutting the workpiece and the dresser in the first direction by a cutting blade, after the holding step is performed.

Abstract: A blade replacing device used in a cutting apparatus includes a holding section that detachably holds one surface side of a cutting blade, a moving section that relatively advances and retracts the holding section with holding the cutting blade relative to a spindle in an axial direction of the spindle, and positions the holding section at least at a mounting position at which the other surface of the cutting blade is equal to or less than a predetermined distance from a flange section of a blade mount, and at a released position at which the cutting blade is spaced from the blade mount, and a thickness information acquisition section for acquiring information concerning a thickness of the cutting blade. The mounting position of the holding section is adjusted according to the thickness of the cutting blade acquired by utilizing the thickness information acquisition section.

Abstract: A method of grinding a workpiece includes a first grinding step of adjusting the relative tilt of a chuck table and a grinding wheel to a first state and bringing grindstones into abrasive contact with the workpiece to grind the workpiece, and a second grinding step of adjusting the relative tilt of the chuck table and the grinding wheel to a second state that is different from the first state and bringing the grindstones into abrasive contact with the workpiece to grind the workpiece. In the second grinding step, the workpiece is ground under a condition for causing the workpiece to have a smaller surface roughness than that in the first grinding step.

Abstract: A control unit of a laser processing apparatus includes: a reference image storage section that images streets before formation of modified layers by an imaging unit and stores the captured image as a reference image; a calculation section that compares the reference image stored in the reference image storage section with an image of a wafer held by a chuck table that is captured by the imaging unit, and calculates the degree of agreement of the two images; and a decision section that decides whether the wafer is an unprocessed wafer not formed with the modified layers in the case where the degree of agreement calculated by the calculation section is more than a first predetermined value, and decides whether the wafer is a processed wafer formed with the modified layers in the case where the degree of agreement is equal to or less than a second predetermined value.

Abstract: A detection mechanism of a detection device includes a pulsed laser oscillator that emits a pulsed laser beam; an f? lens facing a workpiece held by a chuck table; a thermal excitation section that applies the pulsed laser beam emitted from the pulsed laser oscillator to an upper surface of a wafer through the f? lens and generates an ultrasonic wave propagated in a spherical form by thermal excitation; and an image forming section that forms an image by capturing a reflected laser beam influenced by vibration of the ultrasonic wave generated by the thermal excitation section, propagated through the inside of the workpiece, reflected by a lower surface of the workpiece, and returned to the upper surface of the workpiece, by an aperture synthesis method.

Abstract: A method of adjusting a laser processing apparatus includes controlling an X-axis galvanometer scanner and a Y-axis galvanometer scanner on the basis of X coordinates and Y coordinates recorded in a coordinate recording section to apply a pulsed laser beam to a workpiece, thereby processing the workpiece, actuating an X-axis moving mechanism and a Y-axis moving mechanism on the basis of the X coordinates and the Y coordinates recorded in the coordinate recording section and causing an image capturing unit to capture an image of processed marks on the workpiece, and detecting shifts between X coordinates and Y coordinates of the processed marks whose image has been captured in the processed mark image capturing step and the X coordinates and the Y coordinates recorded in the coordinate recording section, and recording corrective values in a corrective value recording section.

Abstract: A wafer forming method includes a modified layer forming step of applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through an ingot to the ingot with a focal point of the laser beam positioned inside from a side surface at a position corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be formed, to form a modified layer over the whole circumference of the side surface, a peeling-off layer forming step of exerting an external force from an upper surface of the ingot and concentrating a stress on a crack extending from the modified layer to the inside, to cause the crack to develop from the side surface side toward the inside and form a peeling-off layer, and a wafer forming step of peeling off a wafer to be formed, from the ingot, with the peeling-off layer as a start point, to form the wafer.

Abstract: A grinding apparatus includes a first grinding mechanism, a second grinding mechanism, and a third grinding mechanism for grinding wafers held on respective chuck tables. The first grinding mechanism and the second grinding mechanism are positioned with respect to the chuck tables such that a second ground mark produced on a wafer by second grindstones of the second grinding mechanism as it grinds the wafer extends across a first ground mark produced on the wafer by first grindstones of the first grinding mechanism as it grinds the wafer. The second grinding mechanism and the third grinding mechanism are positioned with respect to the chuck tables such that a third ground mark produced on the wafer by third grindstones of the third grinding mechanism as it grinds the wafer extends across the second ground mark produced on the wafer by the second grindstones.

Abstract: A method of processing a SiC ingot includes a resistance value measuring step of measuring an electric resistance value of an end face of the SiC ingot, a laser beam output adjusting step of adjusting the output of a laser beam according to the electric resistance value measured in the resistance value measuring step, and a peeling belt forming step in which, while a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the SiC ingot is being applied to the SiC ingot with a focal point of the laser beam positioned at a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be formed, the SiC ingot and the focal point are put into relative processing feeding in an X-axis direction to form a belt-shaped peeling belt in the inside of the SiC ingot.