Abstract: A wafer producing method for producing a hexagonal single crystal wafer from a hexagonal single crystal ingot, including a separation start point forming step of setting the focal point of a laser beam inside the ingot at a predetermined depth from the ingot's upper surface, which depth corresponds to the thickness of the wafer to be produced, and next applying the laser beam while relatively moving the focal point and the ingot to thereby form: (i) a modified layer parallel to the ingot's upper surface, and (ii) cracks extending from the modified layer, thus forming a separation start point. The laser beam is applied to form the modified layer in a condition where the relation of ?0.3?(d?x)/d?0.5 holds, where d is the diameter of a focused spot of the laser beam and x is the spacing between adjacent focused spots of the laser beam.

Abstract: A diamond substrate producing method includes a belt-shaped separation layer forming step of applying a laser beam to a diamond ingot as relatively moving the ingot and a focal point of the laser beam in a [110]-direction perpendicular to a (110)-plane, thereby forming a belt-shaped separation layer extending in the [110]-direction inside the ingot, an indexing step of relatively moving the ingot and the focal point in an indexing direction parallel to a (001)-plane and perpendicular to the [110]-direction, a planar separation layer forming step of repeating the belt-shaped separation layer forming step and the indexing step to thereby form a planar separation layer parallel to the (001)-plane inside the ingot, the planar separation layer being composed of a plurality of belt-shaped separation layers arranged side by side in the indexing direction, and a separating step of separating a substrate from the diamond ingot along the planar separation layer.

Abstract: A wafer producing method includes a facet area detecting step of detecting a facet area from an upper surface of an SiC ingot, a coordinates setting step of setting the X and Y coordinates of plural points lying on the boundary between the facet area and a nonfacet area in an XY plane, and a feeding step of setting a focal point of a laser beam having a transmission wavelength to SiC inside the SiC ingot at a predetermined depth from the upper surface of the SiC ingot, the predetermined depth corresponding to the thickness of the SiC wafer to be produced, next applying the laser beam from a focusing unit in a laser processing apparatus to the SiC ingot, and relatively moving the SiC ingot and the focal point in an X direction parallel to the X axis in the XY plane, thereby forming a belt-shaped separation layer extending in the X direction inside the SiC ingot.

Abstract: A method for producing a wafer from an ingot of single crystal SiC includes an end surface planarizing step of planarizing an end surface of the ingot, a separation layer forming step of setting a focal point of a laser beam having a transmission wavelength to single crystal SiC inside the ingot at a predetermined depth from the end surface of the ingot, the predetermined depth corresponding to the thickness of the wafer to be produced, and next applying the laser beam to the ingot to thereby form a separation layer for separating the wafer from the ingot, a hard plate providing step of providing a hard plate through an adhesive on the end surface of the ingot in which the separation layer has been formed, and a separating step of separating the wafer with the hard plate from the ingot along the separation layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor substrate processing method includes: a peeling layer forming step of forming a peeling layer by irradiating a first semiconductor substrate with a laser beam having a wavelength capable of passing through the first semiconductor substrate while positioning a focal point of the laser beam within the first semiconductor substrate; a second semiconductor substrate forming step of forming a second semiconductor substrate by epitaxial growth on an upper surface of the first semiconductor substrate after performing the peeling layer forming step; a peeling step of peeling off the first semiconductor substrate from the peeling layer; and a grinding step of grinding and removing the first semiconductor substrate after performing the peeling step.

Abstract: A wafer is produced from a compound single crystal ingot having an end surface. A separation plane is formed by setting the focal point of a laser beam inside the ingot at a predetermined depth from the end surface. The depth corresponds to the thickness of the wafer to be produced. The laser beam is applied to the end surface to form a modified layer parallel to the end surface and cracks extending from the modified layer, thus forming the separation plane. The ingot has first atoms having a larger atomic weight and second atoms having a smaller atomic weight, and the end surface of the ingot is set as a polar plane where the second atoms are arranged in forming the separation plane. After producing the wafer from the ingot, the first end surface is ground to be flattened.

Abstract: A peeling apparatus includes an ingot holding unit holding an ingot in a hanging state where a portion of the ingot to be peeled off as the wafer is directed downwardly, a water container containing water therein, an ultrasonic unit immersed in the water in the water container, a moving unit moving the ingot holding unit vertically into a position where the ingot holding unit faces the ultrasonic unit and at least the portion of the ingot to be peeled off as the wafer is immersed in the water in the water container, and a nozzle ejecting water to the portion of the ingot to be peeled off as the wafer thereby to promote the peeling of the wafer from the ingot.

Abstract: A pressure vessel includes a vessel body, a first rib and a second rib. The vessel body includes a first surface and a second surface. The first rib projects in a second direction from the first surface and extends in a first direction. The second rib provided in series with the first rib, projects in the first direction from the second surface, and extends in the second direction. A width in the second direction of the internal space is smaller than a width in the first direction of the internal space. A maximum value of a projection amount of the second rib from the second surface to the outside of the vessel body in the first direction is smaller than the maximum value of a projection amount of the first rib from the first surface to the outside of the vessel body in the second direction.

Abstract: A method of producing a wafer from a hexagonal single-crystal ingot includes the steps of planarizing an end face of the hexagonal single-crystal ingot, forming a peel-off layer in the hexagonal single-crystal ingot by applying a pulsed laser beam whose wavelength is transmittable through the hexagonal single-crystal ingot while positioning a focal point of the pulsed laser beam in the hexagonal single-crystal ingot at a depth corresponding to a thickness of a wafer to be produced from the planarized end face of the hexagonal single-crystal ingot, recording a fabrication history on the planarized end face of the hexagonal single-crystal ingot by applying a pulsed laser beam to the hexagonal single-crystal ingot while positioning a focal point of the last-mentioned pulsed laser beam in a device-free area of the wafer to be produced.

Abstract: A gas cooler includes a pair of seal plates and a pair of first support ribs. The individual seal plate has a stepped surface which extends in a direction that a cooling portion is inserted into a casing. The individual first support rib supports the stepped surface. With the configuration where the stepped surface is supported by the first support rib, the inside of the casing is partitioned into an upstream-side space communicated with an introducing port and a downstream-side space communicated with a discharging port.

Abstract: A wafer is produced from an ingot by confirming whether or not an inclined c-axis of the ingot and a second orientation flat of the ingot are perpendicular to each other, and detecting a processing feed direction perpendicular to the direction in which the c-axis is inclined. The method includes performing sampling irradiation of the ingot with a laser beam, along a direction parallel to the second orientation flat and a plurality of directions inclined clockwise and counterclockwise by respective predetermined angles from the second orientation flat, thereby forming a plurality of sampled reduced strength areas in the ingot; measuring the number of nodes which exist per unit length on each of the sampled reduced strength areas, and determining a direction in which the sampled reduced strength area where the measured number of nodes is zero extends as a processing feed direction.

Abstract: A sound deadening device has an introducing and damping section. The introducing and damping section includes an introduction section that introduces fluid, an expansion chamber, and a lead-out section. The expansion chamber is communicated with the introduction section, has a flow passage cross-section larger than a flow passage cross-section of the introduction section, and has protrusions along a travelling direction of a sound wave, resonance of the sound wave being to be suppressed. The lead-out section is communicated with the expansion chamber, has a flow passage cross-section smaller than that of the expansion chamber, and leads out the fluid in a direction different from an introduction direction of the fluid. Accordingly, it is possible to weaken the resonance of the sound wave, suppress rise of inner sound pressure of the sound deadening device, and prevent reduction in a sound deadening effect.

Abstract: A hexagonal single crystal wafer is produced from a hexagonal single crystal ingot. The wafer producing method includes a separation start point forming step of setting the focal point of a laser beam having a transmission wavelength to the ingot inside the ingot at a predetermined depth from the upper surface of the ingot. The separation start point forming step includes a first step of forming the separation start point with a first power and a second step of setting the focal point at the modified layer previously formed in the first step and then applying the laser beam to the ingot with a second power higher than the first power at an increased repetition frequency in the condition where the energy per pulse of the laser beam is the same as that in the first step, thereby separating the cracks from the modified layer.

Abstract: A wafer producing method of producing a wafer from a hexagonal single crystal ingot, the method including positioning a focal point of a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the hexagonal single crystal ingot at a depth corresponding to a thickness of a wafer to be produced from an end face of the hexagonal single crystal ingot and applying the laser beam to the hexagonal single crystal ingot to form a separation layer, positioning an ultrasonic wave generating unit so as to face the wafer to be produced with a layer of water interposed therebetween and generating an ultrasonic wave through the layer of water to break down the separation layer, and detecting separation of the wafer to be produced from the hexagonal single crystal ingot according to change in sound.

Abstract: A wafer producing method for producing an SiC wafer from a single crystal SiC ingot. The wafer producing method includes a separation surface forming step of forming a separation surface composed of modified layers, cracks, and connection layers inside the ingot and a wafer separating step of separating a part of the ingot along the separation surface as an interface to thereby produce the wafer. The separation surface forming step includes a modified layer forming step of forming the modified layers and the cracks extending from the modified layers along a c-plane, and a connection layer forming step of forming the connection layers each connecting the cracks formed adjacent to each other in the thickness direction of the ingot.

Abstract: A planarization method includes a grinding step of holding the opposite side to a separation surface in an SiC ingot by a rotatable chuck table and rotating a grinding wheel having plural grinding abrasives disposed in a ring manner to grind the separation surface of the SiC ingot held by the chuck table, and a flatness detection step of irradiating the separation surface of the SiC ingot exposed from the grinding wheel with light and detecting reflected light to detect the degree of flatness. The grinding step is ended when that the separation surface of the SiC ingot has become flat is detected in the flatness detection step.

Abstract: A controller performs, in a first mode, a first operation for controlling composite electromagnetic force of electromagnets such that a target member moves within a predetermined moving range, and a second operation for acquiring temperature drift correlation information indicative of a correlation between a reference value and an input-output characteristic of a position sensor, based on the reference value and the input-output characteristic of the position sensor in the first operation. The controller performs, in a second mode, a third operation for controlling the composite electromagnetic force of the electromagnets according to a signal level of a detection signal from the position sensor, and a fourth operation for compensating the input-output characteristic of the position sensor in the third operation, based on the temperature drift correlation information and the reference value in the third operation.

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: 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 a separation start point forming step of applying the laser beam to the second surface as relatively moving the focal point and the SiC substrate to thereby form a modified layer parallel to the first surface and cracks inside the SiC substrate at the predetermined depth, thus forming a separation start point, and a wafer thinning step of applying an external force to the wafer, thereby separating the wafer into a first wafer having the first surface of the SiC substrate and a second wafer having the second surface of the SiC substrate at the separation start point.

Abstract: A magnetic bearing device includes a magnetic bearing including a plurality of electromagnets, a displacement sensor configured to output an output signal in accordance with a displacement of a shaft, and a controller configured to control the electromagnets. The controller compensates for a change in levels of the output signal, the change occurring in accordance with a change in ambient temperature around the displacement sensor, based on one or more reference values correlating with the change in levels of the output signal. The one or more reference values are detected for use in controlling the rotary electric machine, a fluid machine system including the rotary electric machine, or an apparatus including the fluid machine system.