Abstract: A processing water supply system for supplying processing water to a processing apparatus includes a first heat exchanger that cools the processing water by heat of vaporization of a cooling medium, a second heat exchanger that cools the cooling medium compressed to reach a high temperature, a cooling water receiving route that receives the cooling water from cooling water supply equipment to the second heat exchanger, a cooling water drain route that drains the cooling water heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger to reach a high temperature to drain equipment, and a bypass route that is disposed between the cooling water receiving route and the cooling water drain route and adjusts the cooling water reaching the high temperature at the second heat exchanger to a temperature permissible by the drain equipment.

Abstract: After the inside of a sealed accommodating chamber of a tape attaching apparatus is decompressed, a dicing tape covering a back surface of a wafer is attached to an upper surface of an annular projection of the wafer. Thereafter, the inside of the accommodating chamber is pressurized, to press the dicing tape toward the recess in the back surface of the wafer. As a result, the dicing tape can be attached, substantially without a gap, to substantially the whole area of the back surface of the wafer inclusive of a corner part which is the boundary between the recess and the annular projection. By adjusting the air pressure inside the accommodating chamber, the dicing tape can be easily attached to substantially the whole area of the back surface of the wafer in a short time.

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 removing, 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, a support substrate fixing step of fixing the wafer to a support substrate, and a fitting step of fitting, into a removed region formed by removing 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 removed region, and fixing the device chip to the support substrate.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator, a condenser lens that condenses a laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator, and a phase modulation element arranged between the laser oscillator and the condenser lens. Individual differences of the condenser lens are prevented by applying, to the phase modulation element, voltages corresponding to a combined pattern of a shape correction pattern which is configured to correct differences between an actual shape and design values of the condenser lens, and an adjustment pattern which is configured to adjust optical characteristics of the laser beam at each processing point.

Abstract: A cutting apparatus includes a holding table that has at at least a part of a holding surface a transparent section including a transparent member and that holds a workpiece, a cutting unit including a cutting blade that cuts the workpiece held by the holding table, and a cutting water nozzle that supplies cutting water during cutting of the workpiece by the cutting blade, an imaging camera that images the workpiece through the transparent section, and a removing unit that removes a liquid adhered to the transparent section. The removing unit includes a contact member positioned at a contact position for making contact with the transparent section and a retracted position, and an X-axis moving unit that relatively moves on the transparent section the contact member making contact with the transparent section.

Abstract: A management method of a machining system includes a chuck table, a machining unit, a transfer unit that transfers a wafer onto the chuck table, a camera unit that acquires an image containing a pattern formed on a side of a front surface of the wafer, and an information recording section. The management method is applied when the pattern is recorded in association with machining conditions in the information recording section; and records in the information recording section new machining conditions to be used when machining a new type of wafer, causes an automatic machining program, which automatically machines the new type of wafer, to start, forms an image, which contains a new pattern of the new type of wafer, by the camera unit, and records the new pattern in association with the new machining conditions in the information recording section.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes: a selection section that selects two or more components from a plurality of components including a holding table, a processing unit, a robot, a temporary placing unit, a carrying-in mechanism, a cleaning unit, and a carrying-out mechanism; and a control unit that handles a workpiece at part of routes that correspond to the components selected by the selection section, of the routes for passage of the workpiece at the time of processing the workpiece full-automatically by use of the plurality of components.

Abstract: A processing method for a wafer includes a thermocompression-bonding sheet arrangement step of arranging, on a front side of the wafer, a thermocompression-bonding sheet of a size sufficient to cover the wafer, an integration step of pressing the thermocompression-bonding sheet under heat by a planarizing member, so that the thermocompression-bonding sheet is planarized and the thermocompression-bonding sheet and the wafer are integrated together, a grinding step of holding the wafer on a side of the thermocompression-bonding sheet on a chuck table of a grinding apparatus and grinding the wafer to a desired thickness while supplying grinding water to a back side of the wafer, and a thermocompression-bonding sheet rinsing step of unloading the integrated wafer from the chuck table and rinsing the thermocompression-bonding sheet.

Abstract: A detecting apparatus for use in specifying regions having different impurity concentrations in an ingot includes an ingot holding unit having a holding surface for holding the ingot thereon, an excitation light source for applying excitation light having a predetermined wavelength to a face side of the ingot held on the holding surface, and a photodetector for detecting fluorescence emitted from the ingot upon exposure to the excitation light and generating an electric signal representing a number of photons of only light whose wavelength is in an infrared radiation range, of the detected fluorescence.

Abstract: A wafer processing method in which a wafer including devices on a front surface side is processed. The method includes a wafer-with-protective-component forming step of forming the wafer with a protective component through sticking the protective component formed of a resin that softens by heat to the front surface side by pressing and heating the protective component, a thickness measurement step of measuring a thickness of the protective component in the wafer with the protective component, and a grinding step of holding the wafer with the protective component by a chuck table and grinding a back surface side of the wafer until a thickness of the wafer becomes an intended finished thickness. In the grinding step, the thickness of the protective component measured in the thickness measurement step is subtracted from a total thickness of the wafer with the protective component to calculate the thickness of the wafer.

Abstract: A wafer is processed by irradiating a region to be divided with a pulse laser beam with a wavelength having absorbability to generate a thermal stress wave and propagate the wave to the inside of the region to be divided. A crushed layer is formed by executing irradiation, with a pulse laser beam with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to the wafer, matching with a time when the thermal stress wave is generated and reaching a depth position at which a point of origin of dividing is to be generated at a sonic speed according to the material of the wafer. Absorption of the pulse laser beam with the wavelength having the transmissibility in a region in which the band gap is narrowed due to a tensile stress of the thermal stress wave forms a crushed layer that serves as the point of origin of dividing.

Abstract: A grinding apparatus includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece through a protective tape, where the protective tape is attached to one surface of an annular frame so as to cover an opening of the annular frame and the workpiece is attached to the protective tape on an inner side of an inner circumferential edge of the opening of the annular frame; a grinding unit for grinding the workpiece; and a frame cleaning unit that cleans the other surface located on a side opposite to the one surface of the annular frame obtained after grinding of the workpiece, and wherein the frame cleaning unit has either: (i) a first cleaning member configured and arranged for making contact with the other surface of the annular frame and having flexibility, or (ii) a second cleaning member that jets at least either gas or liquid from above the other surface of the annular frame.

Abstract: A workpiece has a device area and a peripheral area surrounding the device area on a front surface side thereof. A workpiece grinding method includes a groove forming step of performing grinding feed of a grinding unit while a spindle is rotated, and grinding a predetermined area on a back surface side of the workpiece, the predetermined area corresponding to the device area, in a state in which a chuck table holding the workpiece is not rotated, thereby forming a groove on the back surface side, a groove removing step of starting rotation of the chuck table while the spindle is kept rotating, thereby grinding side walls of the groove and removing the groove, and a recess forming step of performing grinding feed of the grinding unit while the spindle and the chuck table are rotated, thereby grinding the predetermined area and forming a recess and a ring-shaped reinforcement part.

Abstract: A holding mechanism includes a wafer holding section that holds a wafer under suction, and a frame support section that is disposed on the outer circumference of the wafer holding section and that supports a frame. The frame support section includes a permanent magnet.

Abstract: A dust collecting treatment apparatus is connected to a dry type polishing apparatus, sucks dust-containing air from the dry type polishing apparatus, and separates the dust and the air from each other. The apparatus includes a cylindrical main body connected to the dry type polishing apparatus; a suction box disposed on an upper plate of the cylindrical main body, a suction source connected to the suction box through a ventilating duct, a filter unit that includes a flange section supported on the upper plate of the cylindrical main body, a pipe formed integrally with the flange section and formed of a plurality of minute holes, and a filter formed of a water-soluble material and externally fitted to the pipe in a detachable manner. The filter is disposed inside the cylindrical main body. A water jet nozzle is disposed inside the suction box and jets water into the filter unit.

Abstract: A hubbed blade to be mounted on a spindle includes a circular hub and a circular blade fixed on a side of a first side of the hub. The blade has an opening formed through its center. The hub includes a protrusion portion protruding from the first side and having an outer peripheral edge of a shape corresponding to a shape of the opening. The hub and the blade are connected together via an adhesive with the hub and the blade being aligned each other with the protrusion portion inserted in the opening.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for processing a wafer formed on a front surface thereof with a plurality of devices having projection-shaped electrodes, the devices being partitioned by streets, includes a cutting step of holding a back surface of the wafer by a holding surface of a chuck table and cutting head portions of the projection-shaped electrodes by a cutting tool slewed in parallel to the holding surface, to make uniform the electrodes in height and expose metallic surfaces; a thermocompression bonding sheet laying step of laying a thermocompression bonding sheet on the front surface of the wafer; a thermocompression bonding step of heating and pressing the thermocompression bonding sheet to perform thermocompression bonding; and a peeling step of peeling off the thermocompression bonding sheet from the wafer, before dividing the wafer into individual device chips and bonding the electrodes to a circuit board.

Abstract: A method of processing a workpiece having electrodes embedded therein includes a holding step of holding a face side of the workpiece on a chuck table, a grinding step of, after the holding step, bringing grindstones of a grinding wheel into contact with a reverse side of the workpiece held on the chuck table while rotating the grinding wheel in a first direction, thereby grinding the workpiece until the electrodes are exposed on the reverse side of the workpiece, and an electrode processing step of, after the grinding step, processing the electrodes by bringing the grindstones into contact with the electrodes exposed on the reverse side of the workpiece held on the chuck table while rotating the grinding wheel in a second direction opposite the first direction.

Abstract: A cutting apparatus includes a table including a support plate transparent in a visible region, a cutting unit, a first feeding mechanism that includes a first moving section for supporting the table and a first motor, a second feeding mechanism that includes a second moving section for supporting the cutting unit and a second motor, a first camera disposed on the side of a first surface of the support plate, a second camera disposed on the side of a second surface opposite to the first surface of the support plate, and a storage section that stores positional deviation amounts in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction between an imaging region at a reference position of the first camera and an imaging region at a reference position of the second camera.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a chuck table for holding a workpiece, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held on the chuck table as supplying a processing water to the workpiece, and a water pan fixed to a bottom of the processing apparatus for receiving the processing water as a water leaked.