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.

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: A polishing apparatus includes a polishing unit that rotatably supports a polishing pad for polishing a wafer held on a holding surface of a chuck table and that has a spindle formed with a through-hole extending from one end of the spindle to the other end of the spindle in an axis of the spindle. A thickness measuring unit is disposed at one end of the through-hole of the spindle that measures a thickness of the wafer. A controller obtains information regarding the thickness of the wafer measured by the thickness measuring unit at a position defined by a variation in a distance between a rotational center of the rotating wafer fed by a parallel feeding mechanism, a center of the other end of the through-hole facing the wafer, and a rotational angle of the chuck table, and forms mapping data regarding the thickness of the wafer.

Abstract: A protective sheet application method for applying a protective sheet on a front surface of a substrate includes mounting the substrate on a support table in a vacuum chamber, mounting the protective sheet on the substrate to separate a space in the vacuum chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment, depressurizing the first compartment to a predetermined air pressure and also depressurizing the second compartment, opening the depressurized second compartment to the atmosphere to bring the protective sheet into close contact with the substrate by a predetermined force, and opening the depressurized first compartment to the atmosphere to separate the lower housing and the upper housing from each other. A protective sheet application apparatus for applying the protective sheet on the front surface of the substrate includes the vacuum chamber.

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 screwdriver is connected to an electric power supply, and rotates a mounted bit to tighten a screw. The screwdriver includes a camera, an image information recording section, a basic information registration section, a determination section, and an LED unit. The camera captures the screw to be tightened or surroundings of a threaded hole in which the screw is to be tightened. The recording section records an image captured by the camera. The registration section registers beforehand image information, which has been acquired by capturing with the camera an image of the surroundings of the threaded hole, as basic information. The determination section determines whether or not new image information, which has been newly acquired by capturing an image of the surroundings of the threaded hole with the camera, coincides with the basic information. The LED unit notifies a result of determination by the determination section.

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 laser processing apparatus includes two chuck tables for holding workpieces on their holding surfaces, an X-axis feed unit for moving the chuck tables which are being arrayed in an X-axis direction, a laser beam applying unit for applying a laser beam to the workpiece on one at a time of the chuck tables to process the workpiece, and a pair of delivery areas arrayed in the X-axis direction on both sides of the laser beam applying unit, for delivering workpieces to and from the chuck tables. The laser beam applying unit includes a laser oscillator, a beam condenser, and a laser beam scanning unit for displacing a position where the laser beam is applied to the holding surface of the one of the chuck tables.

Abstract: A silicon wafer forming method includes: a block ingot forming step of cutting a silicon ingot to form block ingots; a planarizing step of grinding an end face of the block ingot to planarize the end face; a separation layer forming step of applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through silicon to the block ingot, with a focal point of the laser beam positioned in the inside of the block ingot at a depth from the end face of the block ingot corresponding to the thickness of the wafer to be formed, to form a separation layer; and a wafer forming step of separating the silicon wafer to be formed from the separation layer.

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 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 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 cutting apparatus is provided with a cutting unit. The cutting unit includes a spindle on which a cutting blade is mounted for rotation, a spindle housing that rotatably supports the spindle, a blade cover that is attached to the spindle housing and covers the cutting blade, a cutting water supply nozzle that supplies cutting water to the cutting blade, and a blade monitor that has an end face configured to monitor a cutting edge of the cutting blade. The end face of the blade monitor has a recessed portion to which rinsing water is supplied to rinse the end face.

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.