Abstract: There is provided a processing method of a wafer. The processing method includes a protective sheet preparation step of preparing a protective sheet including a first sheet that is thermocompression-bonded to a surface of the wafer by heating, a second sheet that is laid on the first sheet and has fluidity due to the heating, and a third sheet that is laid on the second sheet and keeps flatness even with the heating. The processing method also includes a protective sheet laying step of causing a side of the first sheet to face a front surface of the wafer and executing heating to execute thermocompression bonding to lay the protective sheet on the front surface of the wafer and a grinding step of causing a side of the protective sheet to be held by a holding surface of a chuck table and grinding a back surface of the wafer.

Abstract: A wafer processing method includes a wafer accommodating step of accommodating a wafer in a vacuum chamber, a protective sheet disposing step of disposing a protective sheet on a front surface of the wafer, a decompression step of decompressing the inside of the vacuum chamber, after the wafer accommodating step and the protective sheet disposing step, a press-fitting step of pressing the protective sheet against a peripheral marginal area of the wafer in the vacuum chamber to press-fit the protective sheet to the peripheral marginal area, after the decompression step, and a conveying-out step of opening the vacuum chamber to atmosphere to bring the protective sheet into close contact with the front surface of the wafer by atmospheric pressure and conveying out the wafer, after the press-fitting step.

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus includes a holder which holds a wafer by sandwiching an outer circumferential surplus region of the wafer between a face side and a reverse side thereof, a vacuum chamber which houses the holder therein such that the wafer held by the holder defines an upper compartment and a lower compartment in the vacuum chamber, an evacuating unit which evacuates the upper compartment and the lower compartment and developing a positive pressure in the lower compartment with respect to the upper compartment to cancel out flexing of the wafer held by the holder, and a processing unit which is disposed in the vacuum chamber to perform a predetermined process on the wafer held by the holder.

Abstract: A method of grinding a wafer includes a grinding step of grinding, by a grinding wheel, a central region of a wafer held by a holding table, to form a circular recessed part and form a ring-shaped reinforcing part 18 on the outer circumferential side of the circular recessed part. The wafer has such a thickness that the deformation of the wafer in which the circular recessed part 17 is formed is able to be suppressed by the ring-shaped reinforcing part.

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing method includes: a crack layer forming step of applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through an ingot to the ingot, with a focal point of the laser beam positioned in a region spaced from an end face of the ingot by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the wafer to be manufactured, to form a crack layer, a cut groove forming step of positioning a cutting blade on an extension line of the crack layer and forming a cut groove continuous with the crack layer in a periphery of the ingot; and a peeling step of applying an ultrasonic wave to the end face of the ingot to peel off the wafer to be manufactured, along the crack layer.

Abstract: There is provided a wet etching method including an etchant supply step of supplying an etchant from an etchant supply nozzle to a to-be-etched surface of a workpiece, an etching step of etching the to-be-etched surface with the etchant remaining on the to-be-etched surface, and an etchant removal step of, after performing the etching step, removing the etchant, which still remains on the resulting etched surface, from the etched surface. The etchant supply step, the etching step, and the etchant removal step are repeated a plurality of times in this order.

Abstract: A method of processing a workpiece to divide the workpiece into a plurality of device chips includes a dividing step of dividing a workpiece held on a holding table to produce a plurality of device chips from the workpiece, an image capturing step of capturing an image of the workpiece while the dividing step is being carried out or after the dividing step has been carried out, a detecting step of detecting from the image whether there is a chip fly-off from the workpiece or not and a chip fly-off region where a chip fly-off has occurred, and a warning step of warning of at least either one of a cause of the chip fly-off and a countermeasure against chip fly-offs.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a wafer includes a wafer preparing step of preparing a wafer having semiconductor devices formed in a plurality of respective areas demarcated thereon by a plurality of intersecting streets, a removing step of removing from the wafer a defective device region including a semiconductor device determined as a defective product among the semiconductor devices formed on the wafer, an enlarging step of enlarging a removed region formed in the wafer by removing the defective device region from the wafer, and an inlaying step of inlaying a device chip including a non-defective semiconductor device that is functionally identical to the semiconductor device determined as the defective product, in the enlarged removed region.

Abstract: A package substrate processing method includes a holding step of holding a package substrate by a chuck table, a warp reducing step of, after the holding step is performed, reducing a warp in the package substrate by forming grooves of a first depth along planned dividing lines of the package substrate by using a first cutting blade, a groove forming step of forming grooves of, after the warp reducing step is performed, a second depth by further cutting the grooves of the first depth by using the first cutting blade, and a dividing step of, after the groove forming step is performed, forming packaged chips by further cutting the grooves of the second depth and thus dividing the package substrate by using a second cutting blade thinner than the first cutting blade.

Abstract: A wafer has an outer circumferential chamfered portion, and at least three tiny flat surfaces formed along a circumferential direction of the wafer in a region of the outer circumferential chamfered portion. The flat surfaces define circular arcs between adjacent ones thereof, respectively, and at least two of the circular arcs have lengths different from each other.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a cassette mounting section mounting a cassette storing a plurality of workpieces, a reading section reading an identification code provided on the cassette mounted on the cassette mounting section, and an information transmitting section transmitting information on the progress of process steps in processing each workpiece stored in the cassette, to a customer that has ordered the processing of each workpiece stored in the cassette.

Abstract: A fixed temperature liquid supply apparatus for supplying liquid adjusted in temperature to a processing apparatus including a processing unit includes a tank that accommodates the liquid, a thermometer that measures the temperature of the liquid accommodated in the tank, and a compressed gas supply pipe one end of which is connected to a compressed gas source reserving a compressed gas, the other end of which reaches the tank, and which supplies the compressed gas from the compressed gas source to the tank. The liquid accommodated in the tank is cooled by bubbles of the compressed gas, and the cooled liquid is supplied to the processing apparatus.

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing method for manufacturing a wafer from an ingot includes forming a peeling layer within the ingot by positioning a condensing point at a depth corresponding to the thickness of the wafer to be produced, and irradiating the ingot with a first laser beam, forming a character, a number, or a mark representing information regarding resistivity in or on the ingot by positioning a condensing point in a region in which devices are not to be formed and irradiating the ingot with a second laser beam, and dividing the ingot with the peeling layer as a starting point.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for dividing a wafer at a peeling layer after forming the peeling layer within the wafer includes a peeling layer forming step of forming a first peeling layer along the side surface of a circular truncated cone and a second peeling layer along the upper surface of the circular truncated cone, a dividing step of dividing the wafer so as to form a thinned wafer that has a first peeling surface exposed by being divided at the first peeling layer and has a second peeling surface exposed by being divided at the second peeling layer, a grinding step of subjecting the second peeling surface to grinding, and a polishing step of subjecting the first peeling surface and the second peeling surface to polishing.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for processing a wafer having a plurality of devices formed on a first surface thereof includes positioning a first focal point of a first laser beam at a first height and emitting the first laser beam onto the wafer from a side on which a second surface lies, thereby forming a protective layer, positioning a second focal point of a second laser beam at a second height being more distant from the first surface than the first height and emitting the second laser beam onto the wafer from the side on which the second surface lies, thereby forming a separation start position made up of a modified layer and a crack, and applying an external force to the wafer to divide the wafer at the separation start position and separating a piece including the second surface from the wafer.

Abstract: A processing method of a bonded wafer includes forming a plurality of modified layers in a form of rings through positioning focal points of laser beams with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to a first wafer inside the first wafer, from which a chamfered part is to be removed, from a back surface of the first wafer and executing irradiation, holding a second wafer side on a chuck table, and grinding the back surface of the first wafer to thin the first wafer. In the forming the modified layers, the focal points of the laser beams are set in such a manner as to gradually get closer to a joining layer in a direction from an inner side of the first wafer toward an outer side thereof, so that the plurality of ring-shaped modified layers are formed in a form of descending stairs.

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 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: An apparatus for processing a workpiece includes a holding table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece thereon, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held on the holding surface of the holding table, and a table cover for covering the holding surface when the workpiece is not held on the holding surface. The table cover has a contact surface for contacting at least the holding surface of the holding table, the contact surface being adhesive in nature.

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.