Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes: a light flux separating-and-combining device configured to polarize and separate a laser light into two polarized light fluxes having polarization orthogonal to each other and emit the two light fluxes with their optical paths matching each other toward different regions of a spatial light modulator, and configured to combine the two polarized light fluxes modulated by the spatial light modulator and emit the two light fluxes toward a condenser lens; and a controller configured to control hologram patterns presented by the spatial light modulator for respective regions of the spatial light modulator irradiated with the two polarized light fluxes such that the laser light is condensed by the condenser lens at two positions different from each other in a thickness direction inside of the wafer and the same as each other in a relative movement direction of the laser light to form modified regions.

Abstract: A three-dimensional coordinate measurement apparatus capable of reducing shaking of a Y carriage and improving measurement accuracy. The Y carriage is supported by two strut members which are across a surface plate and movable in a Y-axis direction. The two strut members include a first strut member having a driving mechanism and a second strut member which moves following the first strut member. A guide portion parallel to the Y-axis direction is formed in the surface plate on a first strut member side. Side surface support members support the first strut member on the surface plate by holding both opposed side surfaces of the guide portion. The driving mechanism includes a roller having an axis perpendicular to a surface plate surface, and the roller is brought into contact with one side surface of the guide portion and rolled to move the Y carriage relatively to the surface plate.

Abstract: A workpiece processing device includes a workpiece supporting unit configured to support a workpiece so that the workpiece is rotatable around a first axis parallel to a central axis of the workpiece, a cutting unit having a blade configured to cut a surface of the workpiece, a detecting unit configured to calculate a position of a vertex of the surface in a direction along a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis and parallel to the blade, and a control unit configured to control the workpiece supporting unit so that a cutting position on the surface is located at a vertex in the direction along the second axis, and relatively move the workpiece supporting unit and the cutting unit so that an incision direction of the blade is on a plane defined by the central axis and the cutting position, thereby forming a groove at the cutting position.

Abstract: A workpiece processing device includes a workpiece supporting unit configured to support a workpiece so that the workpiece is rotatable around a first axis parallel to a central axis of the workpiece, a cutting unit having a blade configured to cut a surface of the workpiece, a detecting unit configured to calculate a position of a vertex of the surface in a direction along a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis and parallel to the blade, and a control unit configured to control the workpiece supporting unit so that a cutting position on the surface is located at a vertex in the direction along the second axis, and relatively move the workpiece supporting unit and the cutting unit so that an incision direction of the blade is on a plane defined by the central axis and the cutting position, thereby forming a groove at the cutting position.

Abstract: A linear drive mechanism which moves a detector having sensitivity in a first axial direction, relatively to a workpiece in a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction, the linear drive mechanism includes: a drive shaft extending in the second axial direction; a mover which is supported in a non-contact fashion by the drive shaft and configured to move along the drive shaft integrally with the detector or the workpiece; a guide provided at a position deviated relative to the drive shaft in a third axial direction orthogonal to both the first axial direction and the second axial direction, the guide parallel to the drive shaft; and a resistance force generator which is provided on one of the mover and the guide, and is in contact with the other of the mover and the guide, the resistance force generator generates a resistance force which resists against movement of the mover.

Abstract: Provided are a laser machining device and a laser machining method capable of stably operating an autofocus function without causing an unfavorable state such as an overshoot etc. A laser machining device and a laser machining method of the present invention performs a normal AF (autofocus) control when a scan position of the machining laser light and the detecting laser light is located in a work central portion, and performs a slow-tracking AF (autofocus) control with a trackability to a displacement of a main surface of a work reduced to be lower than a trackability of the normal AF control when the scan position of the machining laser light and the detecting laser light is located in a work end portion.

Abstract: Provided are a laser machining device and a laser machining method capable of stably operating an autofocus function without causing an unfavorable state such as an overshoot etc. A laser machining device and a laser machining method of the present invention performs a normal AF (autofocus) control when a scan position of the machining laser light and the detecting laser light is located in a work central portion, and performs a slow-tracking AF (autofocus) control with a trackability to a displacement of a main surface of a work reduced to be lower than a trackability of the normal AF control when the scan position of the machining laser light and the detecting laser light is located in a work end portion.

Abstract: A linear drive mechanism which moves a detector having sensitivity in a first axial direction, relatively to a workpiece in a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction, the linear drive mechanism includes: a drive shaft extending in the second axial direction; a mover which is supported in a non-contact fashion by the drive shaft and configured to move along the drive shaft integrally with the detector or the workpiece; a guide provided at a position deviated relative to the drive shaft in a third axial direction orthogonal to both the first axial direction and the second axial direction, the guide parallel to the drive shaft; and a resistance force generator which is provided on one of the mover and the guide, and is in contact with the other of the mover and the guide, the resistance force generator generates a resistance force which resists against movement of the mover.

Abstract: To provide a wafer processing method which can simplify the wafer processing process and efficiently obtain chips of stable quality. A wafer processing method includes: a tape attaching step of attaching a back grinding tape to the front surface of a wafer; a modified region forming step of applying a laser beam from the back surface of the wafer along a cut line to form modified regions inside the wafer; a back surface processing step of processing the back surface of the wafer having the modified regions to reduce a thickness of the wafer; and a dividing step of, in a state in which the back grinding tape is attached to the front surface of the wafer, applying a load to the cut line from the back surface of the wafer to divide the wafer along the cut line and obtain individual chips.

Abstract: Provided is a prober capable of suppressing the increase in installation area and the increase in device cost, and also improving the throughput, while maintaining the accuracy of the moving position of an alignment device shared by each of measuring units. The prober includes: a plurality of measuring units, each of which has a probe card electrically connected to a test head; a wafer chuck that holds a wafer in which a plurality of chips are formed; an alignment device which performs relative alignment between the probe card and the wafer held by the wafer chuck; a moving device which moves the alignment device among the measuring units; and a positioning and fixing device which is provided for every of the measuring units, and positions and fixes the alignment device which is moved to each of the measuring units.

Abstract: There are provided a detector, a surface property measuring machine and a roundness measuring machine for automatically measuring a plurality of surfaces to shorten the time necessary for measurement. This problem is solved by a detector provided with a stylus for supporting a contact coming in contact with a surface of an object to be measured, a holder configured to hold the stylus, a measuring part configured to hold the holder to be capable of swinging by a rotating shaft and detect a displacement of the holder, and a body configured to accommodate the measuring part, wherein the holder holds the stylus such that a stylus axis as an axis of the stylus and a body axis as an axis of the body are in parallel, and the stylus axis and the body axis are offset in a first direction perpendicular to the body axis and the rotating shaft.

Abstract: A three-dimensional coordinate measurement apparatus capable of reducing shaking of a Y carriage and improving measurement accuracy. The Y carriage is supported by two strut members which are across a surface plate and movable in a Y-axis direction. The two strut members include a first strut member having a driving mechanism and a second strut member which moves following the first strut member. A guide portion parallel to the Y-axis direction is formed in the surface plate on a first strut member side. Side surface support members support the first strut member on the surface plate by holding both opposed side surfaces of the guide portion. The driving mechanism includes a roller having an axis perpendicular to a surface plate surface, and the roller is brought into contact with one side surface of the guide portion and rolled to move the Y carriage relatively to the surface plate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a prober and a transfer unit being capable of improving throughput at each of the measurement units. The prober includes a transfer object housing that houses a plurality of transfer objects, the plurality of measurement units, the transfer unit that moves between the transfer object housing for housing the plurality of transfer objects and the plurality of measurement units to transfer the transfer objects into the transfer object housing or each of the measurement units, and a moving device. The transfer unit includes environment controller configured to control an environment in a casing, and air curtain formation means for causing the casing to be in a sealed or a substantially sealed state.

Abstract: The detector for a surface measuring device includes: an arm including a contact at a tip end of the arm; a rotation shaft configured to rotatably support the arm; a transmission part having one end connected to the arm at a position on a side opposite to the contact with respect to the rotation shaft; an elastic part having one end connected to another end of the transmission part and configured to generate a measuring force to be applied to the contact; a position adjusting part connected to another end of the elastic part and configured to move a position of the another end of the elastic part in a moving direction; and a tilt adjusting part connected to the arm and including a contact part arranged at position where the contact part can be brought into contact with the transmission part.

Abstract: The present invention provides a prober and a transfer unit being capable of improving throughput at each of the measurement units. The prober includes a transfer object housing that houses a plurality of transfer objects, the plurality of measurement units, the transfer unit that moves between the transfer object housing for housing the plurality of transfer objects and the plurality of measurement units to transfer the transfer objects into the transfer object housing or each of the measurement units, and a moving device. The transfer unit includes environment controller configured to control an environment in a casing, and air curtain formation means for causing the casing to be in a sealed or a substantially sealed state.

Abstract: A prober for preventing a collision between a probe and a probe position detecting camera and a prober operation method are provided. A prober that performs an inspection by bringing a probe into contact with an electrode of a wafer W includes: a probe position detecting camera for detecting the position of the tip of the probe to perform relative positional alignment between the electrode of the wafer W and the probe; a probe height detector, provided separately from the probe position detecting camera, for detecting the height of the tip of the probe from a reference plane serving as a reference for the height of the probe position detecting camera; and a first height adjusting mechanism for changing the height of the probe position detecting camera from the reference plane, based on the detection result of the probe height detector.

Abstract: The present invention provides a prober and a transfer unit being capable of improving throughput at each of the measurement units. The prober includes a transfer object housing that houses a plurality of transfer objects, the plurality of measurement units, the transfer unit that moves between the transfer object housing for housing the plurality of transfer objects and the plurality of measurement units to transfer the transfer objects into the transfer object housing or each of the measurement units, and a moving device. The transfer unit includes environment controller configured to control an environment in a casing, and air curtain formation means for causing the casing to be in a sealed or a substantially sealed state.

Abstract: The present invention provides a prober and a transfer unit being capable of improving throughput at each of the measurement units. The prober includes a transfer object housing that houses a plurality of transfer objects, the plurality of measurement units, the transfer unit that moves between the transfer object housing for housing the plurality of transfer objects and the plurality of measurement units to transfer the transfer objects into the transfer object housing or each of the measurement units, and a moving device. The transfer unit includes environment controller configured to control an environment in a casing, and air curtain formation means for causing the casing to be in a sealed or a substantially sealed state.

Abstract: Abbe error that needs to be considered in high accuracy positioning of a device to be maintained, is suppressed. A prober includes: a plurality of measurement sections arranged between a conveyance area and a maintenance area, each of the measurement sections having a device to be maintained which is used for inspection of a semiconductor element formed on a wafer, and a draw-out mechanism configured to draw out the device to be maintained to a side of the maintenance area; a conveyance unit configured to convey an object to be conveyed to a destination measurement section; and a loading part configured to load the object to be conveyed from the side of the maintenance area to the measurement section. The object to be conveyed is loadable into the measurement section from a conveyance area side and the maintenance area side.

Abstract: A grinding apparatus that performs thickness measurement across an entire wafer surface without degradation of throughput of wafer grinding and grinds the wafer precisely to a target thickness. A grinding apparatus includes a rough grinding stage for roughly grinding a wafer and a fine grinding stage for finely grinding the wafer. A first thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the wafer while the wafer is being transferred is provided to a column so disposed as to span an index table. A control unit of the grinding apparatus corrects a target thickness after fine grinding and computes a target thickness after correction on the basis of an average thickness across the entire surface of the wafer before fine grinding obtained from measured values of the first thickness measuring means.