Abstract: A cutting apparatus includes a management unit having a measuring unit for measuring an amount of light emitted from a light emitter and received by a light receiver while a cutting blade is positioned between the light emitter and the light receiver, a measured waveform forming section for forming a measured waveform representing the configuration of an outer circumferential region of the cutting blade, and an ideal waveform recognizing section for recognizing one of the comparative waveforms that has the greatest number of waveform regions similar to the measured waveform as an ideal waveform, a difference calculating section for calculating the area of a region where there is a difference between the measured waveform and the ideal waveform.

Abstract: A conveying unit for conveying a device chip onto a predetermined electrode of a board has a chip chuck that holds under suction one surface of the device chip, a support base to which the chip chuck is fixed in an inclinable manner, and a moving unit that moves the support base, in which a fixing mechanism that fixes the chip chuck to the support base has a plurality of leaf springs extending laterally radially from the chip chuck, the plurality of leaf springs are connected to the support base in the surroundings of the chip chuck, and the plurality of leaf springs are pulled one another, so that the chip chuck is supported in air in an inclinable manner.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for processing a wafer having a chamfered portion formed at a periphery thereof includes a tape attaching step of attaching a protective tape to a front surface of the wafer and making a diameter of the protective tape coincide with a diameter of the wafer; a grinding step of grinding a back surface of the wafer held by a holding table with use of grinding stones so as to thin the wafer to a thickness thinner than half of an original thickness, to reduce the diameter of the wafer, and to form a protruding portion where the protective tape protrudes from the wafer; and a contracting step of heating and contracting the protruding portion of the protective tape after the grinding step is carried out.

Abstract: A warning is issued about an irregularity concerning a wafer stored in a cassette if a difference between a value of an apparent thickness of the wafer and the previously obtained value of an actual thickness of the wafer exceeds a threshold value, the value of the apparent thickness of the wafer being obtained by a non-contact-type sensor for detecting a front portion of the wafer laterally of the wafer. Consequently, the wafer is prevented from being damaged when it is taken out of the cassette.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus for measuring positional relation between a chuck table for holding a workpiece thereon and a processing tool for processing the workpiece held on the chuck table. The measuring apparatus includes a broadband light source, a mirror for reflecting light emitted from the broadband light source to travel toward the processing tool, a chromatic aberration condensing lens disposed between the broadband light source and the mirror or between the mirror and the processing tool, a light branching unit branching reflected light from the processing tool that has been reflected by the mirror and traveled back through the chromatic aberration condensing lens, and a position detecting unit detecting the position of the processing tool on the basis of intensity of the reflected light that corresponds to a wavelength of the reflected light branched by the light branching unit.

Abstract: A protective member forming apparatus includes an integrating unit that integrates a resin sheet held by a chuck table with a wafer by a resin, a conveying unit that conveys the wafer, and a cutting unit that holds, by a cutting table, the wafer integrated with the resin sheet conveyed by the conveying unit and cuts the resin sheet by a cutting section along the wafer. The cutting unit includes a detection unit that images the wafer by a camera and detects a position of a periphery of the wafer, and a control unit that causes cutting of the resin sheet by the cutting section to be performed only in the case where a peripheral edge of the wafer detected coincides with a track of a cutter blade of the cutting section when the preset resin sheet is cut.

Abstract: A sludge drying apparatus includes a waste fluid bath for storing a waste fluid containing a sludge, an extracting unit for extracting the sludge from the waste fluid stored in the waste fluid bath, a transfer belt for transferring the sludge extracted by the extracting unit, a drying unit for drying the sludge to be transferred by the transfer belt, and a recovering unit for recovering the sludge transferred by the transfer belt and dried by the drying unit. The recovering unit includes a roll brush provided adjacent to the air outlet so as to horizontally extend in the direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the transfer belt, and a recovery box for recovering the sludge separated from the transfer belt by the roll brush.

Abstract: A rotation controlling section of a control unit calculates a maximum thicknesswise difference in a wafer by using a noncontact thickness measuring instrument, and if the maximum thicknesswise difference exceeds a tolerance, relatively changes a rotational speed of a chuck table relative to a rotational speed of a spindle. This can shift a rotational speed ratio, which is a ratio between the rotational speed of the spindle and the rotational speed of the chuck table, from an integer. Therefore, the maximum thicknesswise difference can be made small through spark-out processing. As a result, cyclic variations in thickness value of the wafer are reduced, enabling planarization of a ground surface of the wafer.

Abstract: A wafer having a first surface, an opposite second surface, and an outer circumferential surface that includes a curved part curved outward in a protruding manner is separated into two wafers. Part of the wafer is removed along the curved part, and a separation origin is formed inside the wafer by positioning the focal point of a laser beam with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to the wafer inside the wafer and executing irradiation with the laser beam while the focal point and the wafer are relatively moved in such a manner that the focal point is kept inside the wafer. The wafer is separated into two wafers by an external force.

Abstract: There is provided a method of processing a wafer having devices formed in respective areas on a face side thereof that are demarcated by a plurality of crossing projected dicing lines on the face side. The method of processing a wafer includes a wafer unit forming step of forming a wafer unit having a wafer, a tape, and an annular frame, a dividing step of dividing the wafer along the projected dicing lines into a plurality of device chips, a pick-up step of picking up one at a time of the device chips from the wafer unit, and a measuring step of measuring the device chip picked up in the pick-up step. The method also includes a distinguishing step, before the pick-up step, of inspecting properties of the devices to distinguish acceptable devices and defective devices among the devices and storing distinguished results.

Abstract: A SAW device manufacturing method includes a piezoelectric ceramic substrate polishing step of polishing a first surface of the piezoelectric ceramic substrate, a support substrate polishing step of polishing a first surface of the support substrate, a bonding step of bonding the first surface of the piezoelectric ceramic substrate to the first surface of the support substrate to thereby form a stacked substrate, a grinding step of grinding a second surface of the piezoelectric ceramic substrate, and a vibration diffusion layer forming step of applying a laser beam to the stacked substrate in the condition where the focal point of the laser beam is positioned inside the piezoelectric ceramic substrate to thereby form a modified layer as a vibration diffusion layer inside the piezoelectric ceramic substrate.

Abstract: A production method of a wafer includes a wafer production step in which ultrasonic water is ejected against an end face of an ingot with cleavage layers created therein, thereby severing the wafer from a rest of the ingot to produce the wafer.

Abstract: A protective member attaching apparatus includes a pressure reduction chamber having an upper housing and a lower housing, a support table that is provided inside the lower housing and on which a substrate is mounted, a sheet fixing section for fixing the sheet in such a manner as to partition the inside space of the pressure reduction chamber into a first space and a second space, a heating unit that heats the sheet to soften the sheet, and a control unit. The sheet fixing section has an outer periphery fixing section that fixes an outer periphery of the sheet, and a temporary fixing section that temporarily fixes a central portion of the sheet to the substrate mounted on a support table through a gap between the sheet and the substrate.

Abstract: There is provided a processing apparatus including a holding table having a holding surface for holding thereon a workpiece with a plurality of devices formed in respective areas demarcated on a face side of the workpiece by a plurality of projected dicing lines, a processing unit that processes the workpiece held on the holding table, an image capturing unit that captures an image of the workpiece held on the holding table, a moving unit that moves the holding table relatively to the processing unit and the image capturing unit in horizontal directions along the holding surface, a touch panel that displays thereon the image captured by the image capturing unit, and a control unit. The control unit detects a line in an image positioned within an allowable region based on a contact line traced on the image displayed on the touch panel and registers the detected line.

Abstract: A protective film thickness measuring method includes a step of applying light to a top surface of a wafer in a state in which no protective film is formed and measuring a first reflection intensity of the light reflected from the top surface, a step of forming the protective film including a light absorbing material, a step of irradiating the protective film with exciting light of a wavelength at which the light absorbing material fluoresces and measuring a second reflection intensity including fluorescence of the protective film and the light reflected from the top surface, and a step of excluding reflection intensity of patterns formed on the top surface, by subtracting the measured first reflection intensity from the measured second reflection intensity, and calculating fluorescence intensity of the protective film.

Abstract: A method of processing a wafer includes a wafer preparing step of preparing a measurement wafer and a product wafer, a measurement etching step of supplying a gas in a plasma state to first areas of the measurement wafer that correspond to streets thereon to form grooves in the measurement wafer, a measuring step of demarcating a plurality of concentric areas in an array from a center to an outer circumference of the measurement wafer, and measuring depths of the grooves in the respective concentric areas, a thickness adjusting step of adjusting a thickness of the product wafer such that the product wafer is progressively thinner in areas thereof that correspond to the areas of the measurement wafer where the grooves are shallower, and an etching step of supplying a gas in a plasma state to second areas of the product wafer that correspond to streets thereon.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus includes a holding unit and a measuring unit. The measuring unit includes a first optical fiber for transmitting light emitted from a light source, a branching member for branching the light transmitted through the first optical fiber to at least two measuring optical fibers, a plurality of heads including respective beam condensers for converging the light branched by the branching member onto a measurand, a shutter device for shifting timings of application of the light applied from the heads to the measurand, a second optical fiber branched from the branching member and transmitting returning light reflected from the measurand, a spectroscopic unit having a light detector for detecting the returning light, and a controller for controlling the shutter device to control the timings of application of the light applied from the heads to the measurand and controlling the light detector to detect the returning light individually.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a chip formation wafer includes: forming an epitaxial film on a first main surface of a silicon carbide wafer to provide a processed wafer having one side adjacent to the epitaxial film and the other side; irradiating a laser beam into the processed wafer from the other side of the processed wafer so as to form an altered layer along a surface direction of the processed wafer; and separating the processed wafer with the altered layer as a boundary into a chip formation wafer having the one side of the processed wafer and a recycle wafer having the other side of the processed wafer. The processed wafer has a beveling portion at an outer edge portion of the processed wafer, and an area of the other side is larger than an area of the one side in the beveling portion.

Abstract: A wafer cleaning apparatus for cleaning a circumferential edge of a wafer includes a cleaning unit that jets water toward the circumferential edge of the wafer from an outer side of the circumferential edge of the wafer held by a holding surface of a holding table, to clean the circumferential edge of the wafer. The cleaning unit includes a first nozzle that jets the water to the circumferential edge of the wafer from an outer side of the circumferential edge of the wafer in a direction parallel to the holding surface, a second nozzle that jets the water to the circumferential edge of the wafer in a direction of 45 degrees downward relative to the holding surface, and a third nozzle that jets the water to the circumferential edge of the wafer in a direction of 45 degrees upward relative to the holding surface.

Abstract: An as-sliced wafer processing method includes a grinding step of grinding a first surface of an as-sliced wafer, an outer periphery positioning step of moving a chuck table and a grinding unit relative to each other in directions parallel to a holding surface of the chuck table so as to position an edge on an outer periphery of grinding stones at an outer peripheral edge of the first surface after the grinding step is carried out, and a chamfering step of chamfering an outer periphery of the first surface of the as-sliced wafer by the grinding stones after the outer periphery positioning step is carried out.