Abstract: A processing method of a workpiece includes an integration step of heating and compression bonding a thermocompression bonding sheet to an annular frame that has an opening to receive the workpiece therein and to the workpiece received in the opening, whereby the annular frame and the workpiece are integrated via the thermocompression bonding sheet, and a processing step of processing the workpiece integrated with the annular frame via the thermocompression bonding sheet. In the integration step, the thermocompression bonding sheet is pressed against the annular frame that has been heated by a heat table with a heat source included therein, by a heat roller with a heat source included therein while being heated by the heat roller, whereby the thermocompression bonding sheet is fixed to the annular frame.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus includes a holding table that holds a measurement-target object and a measuring unit that measures a height or a thickness of the measurement-target object held by the holding table. The measuring unit includes a light source unit, an optical fiber that guides light emitted by the light source unit, and a light collector that focuses the light guided by the optical fiber on the measurement-target object held by the holding table. The light source unit includes an excitation light source, a fluorescent body that emits fluorescence when receiving excitation light emitted by the excitation light source, and a collecting lens that focuses the excitation light emitted by the excitation light source on the fluorescent body.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus includes a chuck table, a rotation mechanism that rotates the chuck table around a predetermined rotation axis, a polishing unit that has a spindle and in which a polishing pad for polishing the wafer sucked and held by the holding surface is mounted on a lower end part of the spindle, a slurry supply unit, and a cleaning unit that cleans the holding surface. The cleaning unit has a cleaning abrasive stone for removing the slurry that adheres to the holding surface through getting contact with the holding surface and a positioning unit that positions the cleaning abrasive stone to a cleaning position at which the cleaning abrasive stone gets contact with the holding surface and an evacuation position at which the cleaning abrasive stone is separate from the holding surface. Hardness of the cleaning abrasive stone is lower than the hardness of the holding surface.

Abstract: There is provided a grinding apparatus including a chuck table configured to hold a workpiece, a grinding unit configured to grind the workpiece held by the chuck table by grinding stones fixed to a grinding wheel, a grinding feed mechanism configured to raise or lower the grinding unit, a reading unit configured to read a thickness of a base which thickness is recorded on a recording medium on which the thickness of the base of the grinding wheel is recorded, a base thickness storage section configured to store the thickness of the base which thickness is read by the reading unit, and a detecting unit configured to make the grinding unit perform processing by the grinding feed mechanism, and detect a fitting surface of a mount and the lower surface of a grinding stone of the grinding wheel fitted to the mount.

Abstract: After a workpiece unit has been delivered from a cassette and before the workpiece unit is delivered to a chuck table, a value of the thickness of the workpiece unit is recognized on the basis of a result of a measurement performed by a measuring unit. The value of the thickness of the workpiece unit is represented by the sum of values of respective thicknesses of a workpiece and a tape affixed thereto. On the basis of the result of the measurement performed by the measuring unit, it is possible to decide whether or not the tape affixed to the workpiece has a desired thickness, i.e., whether the tape is of a desired type or not. As a result, a workpiece with an inadequate tape affixed thereto is prevented from being ground.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a wafer carrying-out unit, a wafer table that supports a wafer carried out, a frame carrying-out unit, a frame table that supports an annular frame carried out, a tape sticking unit that sticks a tape to the frame, a tape-attached frame conveying unit, a tape pressure bonding unit that executes pressure bonding of the tape of a tape-attached frame to a back surface of the wafer, a frame unit carrying-out unit, and a beveled part removing unit that cuts and removes, in a ring manner, a beveled part formed in an outer circumferential surplus region from the wafer of a frame unit.

Abstract: A dressing board having, on a surface, a two-dimensional code including information relating to properties of the dressing board and a barcode including identification information associated with the information relating to the properties is provided. Furthermore, there is provided a cutting apparatus including a determining part that determines whether or not the properties of the dressing board read out from an information registration part based on the identification information match the kind of dressing board suitable for dressing of a cutting blade.

Abstract: A grinding apparatus includes a grinding unit, a grinding feeding mechanism, and a grinding water supply unit. The grinding water supply unit includes a nozzle that jets grinding water to grindstones, and a biasing mechanism that biases the nozzle upward. The nozzle is configured to be movable downward against the upward biasing according to a downward movement of the grinding unit. The grinding apparatus further includes an upper limit stopping section that sets an upper limit position for upward movement of the nozzle biased upward by the biasing mechanism, for forming a gap through which the grinding wheel is passed, between the nozzle and the mount.

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing method includes a wafer preparing step of preparing a wafer including a semiconductor device formed in each of a plurality of regions demarcated by a plurality of streets intersecting each other, a removing step of separating, from the wafer, a defective device region including a semiconductor device determined to be a defective product among a plurality of the semiconductor devices formed in the wafer, and a fitting step of fitting, into a through hole formed by separating the defective device region from the wafer, a device chip including a semiconductor device as a non-defective product having same functions as those of the semiconductor device determined to be a defective product and having a size capable of being fitted into the through hole.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus that measures a thickness of a workpiece held by a chuck table. The thickness measuring apparatus includes plural image sensors that detect intensity of light spectrally split on each wavelength basis by plural diffraction gratings and generate a spectral interference waveform and a thickness output unit that outputs thickness information from the spectral interference waveform generated by the plural image sensors.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a processing unit, a control unit, and a temperature detecting unit. The processing unit includes a cutting blade and a spindle assembly, the spindle assembly including a spindle having the cutting blade mounted on a distal end of the spindle and a spindle housing through which the spindle is inserted. A cooling fluid passage is formed in the spindle housing, the cooling fluid passage cooling the spindle assembly, and having one end connected to a cooling fluid supply source and having another end communicating with a cooling fluid outlet of the spindle housing. The temperature detecting unit detects the temperature of the spindle housing. The control unit determines whether a state of cooling of the spindle assembly is normal or abnormal on the basis of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a first pulsed laser oscillator that oscillates a pulsed laser having a wavelength of 9 to 11 ?m and a pulse width of 5 ns or less, a CO2 amplifier that amplifies a pulsed laser beam emitted from the first pulsed laser oscillator, and a condenser that focuses the pulsed laser beam amplified by the CO2 amplifier on a workpiece held on the chuck table.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of processing a substrate, having on one side a device area with a plurality of devices. The method includes attaching a first protective film to the one side of the substrate, so that at least a central area of a front surface of the first protective film is in direct contact with the one side of the substrate, and attaching a second protective film to the opposite side of the substrate. After attaching the second protective film, a laser beam is applied to the substrate from the opposite side of the substrate. The substrate and second protective film are transparent to the laser beam. The laser beam is applied to the substrate in a plurality of positions so as to form a plurality of modified regions in the substrate.

Abstract: There is provided a laser processing method for performing laser processing on a wafer having a functional layer on a substrate. The laser processing method includes a blackening step of emitting a pulsed laser beam of a wavelength transparent to the functional layer from a laser oscillator and blackening the functional layer by irradiating the functional layer with the pulsed laser beam of energy equal to or higher than a processing threshold value at which the functional layer is processed such that an overlap ratio of the pulsed laser beam successively applied to the functional layer is equal to or more than 90% and less than 100%, and a groove processing step of forming a laser-processed groove by irradiating the blackened functional layer with the pulsed laser beam and making the blackened functional layer absorb the pulsed laser beam, after performing the blackening step.

Abstract: There is provided a cutting machine for cutting a wafer using a cutting blade. The cutting machine includes a shape storage section, a shape measurement unit, a determination section, and an end face correction device. The shape storage section stores a cross-sectional shape of a support surface, which a mount of a cutting unit has, in an axial direction of a spindle. The shape measurement unit contactlessly measures the cross-sectional shape of the support surface in the axial direction of the spindle. Through a comparison between the cross-sectional shape stored in the shape storage section and the cross-sectional shape measured by the shape measurement unit, the determination section determines whether or not the support surface needs a correction. The end face correction device corrects a shape of the support surface.

Abstract: A workpiece processing apparatus which coats a front surface of a workpiece with a resin, the workpiece having devices formed in regions demarcated by a plurality of planned dividing lines formed in a lattice pattern. The workpiece processing apparatus includes a cassette mounting base mounted with a cassette housing a plurality of workpieces, a resin coating unit that coats the front surface of the workpiece with the resin, a resin curing unit that cures the resin by applying an external stimulus to the coated resin, a resin grinding unit that flattens the cured resin by grinding the cured resin by a rotating grinding stone, and a conveying mechanism that conveys the workpiece between the units.

Abstract: A substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side is processed by providing a protective film having a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface and providing a holding frame for holding the substrate. The holding frame has a central opening. The holding frame is attached to the back surface of the protective film so as to close the central opening of the holding frame by the protective film, and the first side of the substrate or the second side of the substrate is attached to the front surface of the protective film. The substrate is processed from the side of the substrate which is opposite the side of the substrate attached to the front surface of the protective film, and/or the side of the substrate which is attached to the front surface of the protective film.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a holding table for holding a workpiece, a cutting unit including a spindle and a mount, a blade changer unit for mounting a cutting blade on or dismounting a cutting blade from the mount, and a control unit. The blade changer unit includes a blade chuck for holding the cutting blade and a moving unit. The cutting unit includes a vibration detecting sensor. The control unit includes a calculator for calculating the central axis of the mount from a position where the vibration detecting sensor detects vibrations caused upon contact between the mount and the blade chuck, and a mounting/dismounting controller for aligning the central axis of the blade chuck with the central axis of the mount and mounting the cutting blade on and dismounting cutting blade from the mount.

Abstract: An edge position detecting apparatus for detecting a position of an edge of a disk-shaped workpiece includes a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece thereon, a laser displacement gage having a laser applying unit including a light source, for applying a linear laser beam shaped into a linear shape perpendicular to a direction of travel from the light source toward the holding surface, across the edge of the workpiece, and a beam detecting unit including a plurality of photoelectric transducers arrayed at predetermined spaced intervals along a direction for detecting a reflection of the linear laser beam, a moving mechanism for moving the laser displacement gage and the chuck table relatively to each other along the longitudinal direction, and a calculating unit for calculating the position of the edge on the basis of information of a change in an amount of the detected reflection.

Abstract: A thermocompression bonding method for thermocompression bonding a sheet to a workpiece, where the method includes a stacking step of placing the sheet between a flat plate and the workpiece to form a stack in which the sheet is held between the workpiece and an entire surface of the flat plate and a thermocompression bonding step of thermocompression bonding the sheet to the workpiece while planarizing the sheet with the flat plate by heating the sheet and applying an external force to the stack, after performing the stacking step.