Abstract: Disclosed herein is a wafer thinning method for thinning a wafer formed from an SiC substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The wafer thinning method includes an annular groove forming step of forming an annular groove on the second surface of the SiC substrate in an annular area corresponding to the boundary between a device area and a peripheral marginal area in the condition where a thickness corresponding to the finished thickness of the wafer after thinning is left, and a separation start point forming step of applying the laser beam to the second surface as relatively moving a focal point and the SiC substrate to thereby form a modified layer and cracks inside the SiC substrate at the predetermined depth.

Abstract: A wafer has a device area on one side with a plurality of devices partitioned by a plurality of division lines. Either side of the wafer is attached to an adhesive tape supported by a first annular frame. A modified region is formed in the wafer along the division lines by a laser. The wafer is placed on a support member whose outer diameter is smaller than an inner diameter of the first annular frame. After applying the laser beam, the adhesive tape is expanded thereby dividing the wafer along the division lines. A second annular frame is attached to a portion of the expanded adhesive tape. An inner diameter of the second annular frame is smaller than the outer diameter of the support member and smaller than the inner diameter of the first annular frame.

Abstract: A wafer has a device area on one side with a plurality of devices partitioned by a plurality of division lines. Either side of the wafer is attached to an adhesive tape supported by a first annular frame. A modified region is formed in the wafer along the division lines by a laser. The wafer is placed on a support member whose outer diameter is smaller than an inner diameter of the first annular frame. After applying the laser beam, the adhesive tape is expanded thereby dividing the wafer along the division lines. A second annular frame is attached to a portion of the expanded adhesive tape. An inner diameter of the second annular frame is smaller than the outer diameter of the support member and smaller than the inner diameter of the first annular frame.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a wafer thinning method for thinning a wafer formed from an SiC substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The wafer thinning method includes an annular groove forming step of forming an annular groove on the second surface of the SiC substrate in an annular area corresponding to the boundary between a device area and a peripheral marginal area in the condition where a thickness corresponding to the finished thickness of the wafer after thinning is left, and a separation start point forming step of applying the laser beam to the second surface as relatively moving a focal point and the SiC substrate to thereby form a modified layer and cracks inside the SiC substrate at the predetermined depth.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for reducing the thickness of a wafer to a predetermined thickness, the wafer having a chamfered portion along the outer circumference thereof. The wafer processing method includes a stacked wafer forming step of attaching a support substrate to the front side of the wafer to thereby form a stacked wafer, and a chamfered portion removing step of positioning a cutting blade having a rotation axis parallel to the stacking direction of the stacked wafer formed by the stacked wafer forming step so that the outer circumference of the cutting blade faces the chamfered portion of the wafer, and then making the cutting blade cut into the wafer from the outer circumference toward the center thereof to thereby partially remove the chamfered portion in the range corresponding to the predetermined thickness from the front side of the wafer.

Abstract: A resin sealing method for a plurality of semiconductor chips. The resin sealing method includes a chip holding sheet attaching step of attaching a chip holding sheet through an adhesive ring to a support substrate, a semiconductor chip attaching step of attaching the front side of each semiconductor chip to an adhesive layer constituting the chip holding sheet in an area corresponding to the inside of the adhesive ring, a resin sealing step of sealing all of the semiconductor chips with a mold resin, a support substrate removing step of removing the support substrate from the chip holding sheet on which the semiconductor chips are attached and sealed with the mold resin, and a chip holding sheet peeling step of peeling the chip holding sheet from the front side of each semiconductor chip sealed with the mold resin.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for processing a wafer having a device area and a peripheral marginal area surrounding the device area. The method includes: (i) attaching an adhesive tape having an annular adhesive layer only in a peripheral area thereof to the front side of the wafer, whereby the front side of the wafer is fully covered with the adhesive tape and the annular adhesive layer is positioned to correspond to the peripheral marginal area of the wafer, without the annular adhesive layer making contact with the device area; (ii) applying a laser beam to the wafer along division lines to thereby form a plurality of modified layers inside the wafer; (iii) attaching a protective tape to the back side of the wafer and peeling the adhesive tape from the front side of the wafer; and (iv) applying an external force to the wafer to divide the wafer.

Abstract: A resin sealing method for a plurality of semiconductor chips. The resin sealing method includes a chip holding sheet attaching step of attaching a chip holding sheet through an adhesive ring to a support substrate, a semiconductor chip attaching step of attaching the front side of each semiconductor chip to an adhesive layer constituting the chip holding sheet in an area corresponding to the inside of the adhesive ring, a resin sealing step of sealing all of the semiconductor chips with a mold resin, a support substrate removing step of removing the support substrate from the chip holding sheet on which the semiconductor chips are attached and sealed with the mold resin, and a chip holding sheet peeling step of peeling the chip holding sheet from the front side of each semiconductor chip sealed with the mold resin.

Abstract: A ring adhesive tape having an annular adhesive layer in a peripheral area thereof is attached to the front side of a wafer having a device area and a peripheral area surrounding the device area. The annular adhesive layer of the ring adhesive tape is positioned so as to correspond to the peripheral marginal area of the wafer, so that the annular adhesive layer does not adhere to the device area. In peeling the ring adhesive tape from the front side of the wafer after forming modified layers inside the wafer, it is possible to prevent damage to the device area due to the adhesive force of the annular adhesive layer.

Abstract: A wafer processing method of dividing a wafer into individual devices, the wafer having on a front surface a device area and an external circumferential redundant area surrounding the device area, the method including: a wafer grinding step in which, in the state where the wafer is held on the side of a protection tape stuck to the front surface of the wafer, a rear side of the device area in a rear surface of the wafer is ground to form a recessed portion to form a ringlike reinforcing portion on an outer circumferential side of the recessed portion; a metal film coating step for coating, with a metal film, a rear surface of the wafer stuck with the protection tape on the front surface; and a wafer dividing step for cutting the predetermined dividing lines from a rear surface side of the wafer stuck with the protection tape on the front surface, thereby dividing the wafer into the individual devices.

Abstract: A wafer processing method of dividing a wafer into individual devices, the wafer having on a front surface a device area and an external circumferential redundant area surrounding the device area, the method including: a wafer grinding step in which, in the state where the wafer is held on the side of a protection tape stuck to the front surface of the wafer, a rear side of the device area in a rear surface of the wafer is ground to form a recessed portion to form a ringlike reinforcing portion on an outer circumferential side of the recessed portion; a metal film coating step for coating, with a metal film, a rear surface of the wafer stuck with the protection tape on the front surface; and a wafer dividing step for cutting the predetermined dividing lines from a rear surface side of the wafer stuck with the protection tape on the front surface, thereby dividing the wafer into the individual devices.

Abstract: A wafer processing method including the step of removing a ringlike reinforcing portion formed along the outer circumference of a wafer on the back side thereof. The ringlike reinforcing portion is ground by a grinding stone in such a manner that the locus of the grinding stone rotating intersects the ringlike reinforcing portion as viewed in plan. The grinding of the ringlike reinforcing portion is ended when the ground surface of the ringlike reinforcing portion becomes higher by 20 to 1 ?m than the upper surface of a metal film deposited on the back side of a device area of the wafer. It is unnecessary to accurately align the grinding stone to the ringlike reinforcing portion on the upper side thereof, so that the position control can be easily performed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for processing a semiconductor wafer having plural devices divided by streets on a front surface thereof, the method comprising: adhering an adhesive film to a back surface of the semiconductor wafer; cutting the semiconductor wafer along the streets, thereby making pieces of devices; wherein the adhesive film is cut into a shape and a size identical to those of the streets by a laser beam; the semiconductor wafer is positioned such that streets coincide with cut lines of the adhesive film; the adhesive film is adhered to the semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A method for adhering a protecting tape to a protection surface of a wafer is disclosed. The method comprises: cutting the protecting tape of which one surface is processed to be an adhering surface into predetermined size and shape; storing the protecting tape so as to release tensile force therein; holding the protecting tape by a protecting tape holding device; holding the wafer by a wafer holding device; locating the protecting tape and the wafer in a vacuum chamber in such a way that the adhering surface and the protection surface are facing each other; evacuating an interior of the vacuum chamber; and bringing the protecting tape holding device and/or the wafer holding device close to each other, thereby adhering the adhering surface of the protecting tape and the protection surface of the wafer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for generating chip stacks during the production of chips from wafers, the chips located on the wafer being separated from one another, the wafer being ground thin and the chips being stacked to form chip stacks, the chips being checked for the purpose of a functional check, characterised in that the chips are checked in a first work step, that adhesive material is applied on the good chips, whereas the bad chips are not provided with adhesive material, that the wafer is assembled and ground thin afterwards and that the bad chips are subsequently removed and replaced by good chips.

Abstract: To prevent scattering of minute triangular end-material fragments from the outer-peripheral end edge of the semiconductor wafer at both a dicing step and a grinding step not to lose recognizability of the information of the ID mark and discriminability of a notch formed for indicating the crystal orientation of the semiconductor wafer, a method for dicing a semiconductor wafer formed with semiconductor chips demarcated by streets includes: at least a groove formation step of cutting and forming grooves whose depth corresponds to a finish thickness of the semiconductor chips, along the streets leaving a slight outer peripheral region of the semiconductor wafer uncut, a protective-member disposition step of disposing a protective member on the front surface of the semiconductor wafer formed with the grooves, and a splitting step of grinding a back surface of the semiconductor wafer so as to expose the grooves, thereby dicing the semiconductor wafer into the individual semiconductor chips.

Abstract: To enable handling a wafer facilitate during processing even when the wafer is formed thin, a protective member is stuck through an adhesive agent to an outer-peripheral surplus region of a front surface of the wafer, the region being formed with no individual devices, and a back surface of the wafer is ground in a state where the whole front surface of the wafer is supported by the protective member. Since an outer periphery of the wafer is reinforced by the protective member, the wafer can be easily handled even after having been thinned by the grinding.