Abstract: An optical element assembly includes a first optical element and a second optical element. A reflective surface is formed in the first optical element, the second optical element is bonded to the reflective surface of the first optical element, and the reflective surface is shielded from ambient air.

Abstract: A laser beam applying unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a beam splitter disposed on a first optical path connecting a laser oscillator and a condenser, a wide band light source disposed on a second optical path branched by the beam splitter, a spectroscope that is disposed between the wide band light source and the beam splitter and that branches the laser beam from the second optical path to a third optical path, and a Z position detection unit that is disposed on the third optical path branched by the spectroscope and that detects the position in a Z-axis direction of a workpiece according to an intensity of light corresponding to the wavelength of return light that is generated when the light of the wide band light source is condensed by the condenser and is reflected by the workpiece held by a chuck table.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus for measuring positional relation between a chuck table for holding a workpiece thereon and a processing tool for processing the workpiece held on the chuck table. The measuring apparatus includes a broadband light source, a mirror for reflecting light emitted from the broadband light source to travel toward the processing tool, a chromatic aberration condensing lens disposed between the broadband light source and the mirror or between the mirror and the processing tool, a light branching unit branching reflected light from the processing tool that has been reflected by the mirror and traveled back through the chromatic aberration condensing lens, and a position detecting unit detecting the position of the processing tool on the basis of intensity of the reflected light that corresponds to a wavelength of the reflected light branched by the light branching unit.

Abstract: A measuring apparatus includes a holding table that holds a measurement-target object and a measuring unit that measures a height or a thickness of the measurement-target object held by the holding table. The measuring unit includes a light source unit, an optical fiber that guides light emitted by the light source unit, and a light collector that focuses the light guided by the optical fiber on the measurement-target object held by the holding table. The light source unit includes an excitation light source, a fluorescent body that emits fluorescence when receiving excitation light emitted by the excitation light source, and a collecting lens that focuses the excitation light emitted by the excitation light source on the fluorescent body.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus that measures a thickness of a workpiece held by a chuck table. The thickness measuring apparatus includes plural image sensors that detect intensity of light spectrally split on each wavelength basis by plural diffraction gratings and generate a spectral interference waveform and a thickness output unit that outputs thickness information from the spectral interference waveform generated by the plural image sensors.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a first pulsed laser oscillator that oscillates a pulsed laser having a wavelength of 9 to 11 ?m and a pulse width of 5 ns or less, a CO2 amplifier that amplifies a pulsed laser beam emitted from the first pulsed laser oscillator, and a condenser that focuses the pulsed laser beam amplified by the CO2 amplifier on a workpiece held on the chuck table.

Abstract: A laser applying apparatus includes a beam spot shaper for shaping a spot of a laser beam into a slender spot and orienting the polarization direction of a linearly polarized laser beam of the laser beam along a longer side of the slender spot, and a spot control unit for positioning a P-polarized laser beam on slanted surfaces of a recess that is formed in a wafer by orienting the longer side of the slender spot transversely across projected dicing lines and for orienting a shorter side of the slender spot in a processing direction along the projected dicing lines. A method of processing a wafer includes a functional layer removing step that is a step of removing a functional layer on a semiconductor substrate of the wafer by applying laser beams to the projected dicing lines with the use of the laser applying apparatus. The functional layer removing step is carried out a plurality of times to remove the functional layer on the projected dicing lines.

Abstract: A mechanism for detecting the inside of a workpiece includes a wavelength delaying unit for outputting each pulse of a pulsed laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator with time differences imparted to respective wavelengths, and a ring generating unit for generating a ring-shaped pulsed laser beam from the pulsed laser beam with the time differences imparted to the respective wavelengths and diffracting the ring-shaped pulsed laser beam into ring-shaped laser beams ranging from small to large at the respective wavelengths. When the ring-shaped laser beams with the time differences imparted to the respective wavelengths are applied to the workpiece, they produce an interference wave of ultrasonic waves in the workpiece, and vibrations are produced at a position where the interference wave of the ultrasonic waves is converged. A laser beam is applied to an upper surface of the workpiece at a position aligned with the center of the vibrations.

Abstract: A wafer is processed by irradiating a region to be divided with a pulse laser beam with a wavelength having absorbability to generate a thermal stress wave and propagate the wave to the inside of the region to be divided. A crushed layer is formed by executing irradiation, with a pulse laser beam with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to the wafer, matching with a time when the thermal stress wave is generated and reaching a depth position at which a point of origin of dividing is to be generated at a sonic speed according to the material of the wafer. Absorption of the pulse laser beam with the wavelength having the transmissibility in a region in which the band gap is narrowed due to a tensile stress of the thermal stress wave forms a crushed layer that serves as the point of origin of dividing.

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing apparatus includes a holding table that holds an ingot, a wafer manufacturing unit that applies such a laser beam as to be transmitted through the ingot to the ingot, with a focal point of the laser beam positioned inside the ingot, to form a modified layer at a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be manufactured, and a moving mechanism that moves the holding table and the wafer manufacturing unit relative to each other. The wafer manufacturing unit includes a laser oscillator that emits the laser beam, a condenser lens that concentrates the laser beam emitted by the laser oscillator, to the inside of the ingot, and a rotating mechanism that rotates the condenser lens in parallel to an end face of the ingot.

Abstract: A measuring instrument includes a light source, a scanning mirror configured to position the light emitted by the light source at coordinates specified by an X-coordinate and a Y-coordinate on a plate-shaped workpiece held on a chuck table, a diffusing film onto which reflected light is projected, the reflected light forming a spectral interference waveform by being reflected from a top surface and an undersurface of the plate-shaped workpiece held on the chuck table, a light detector configured to detect light intensities corresponding to wavelengths of the spectral interference waveform projected onto the diffusing film, a memory configured to store, for each coordinate, the light intensities corresponding to the wavelengths and being detected by the light detector, and a calculating section configured to calculate a thickness at each coordinate by performing a Fourier transform of the light intensities corresponding to the wavelengths and being stored in the memory.

Abstract: A measuring unit of a measuring apparatus includes a light source that emits light in a predetermined wavelength region, a condenser lens that applies the light emitted by the light source, to a plate-shaped workpiece held by a chuck table, a collimating lens that forms return light reflected by the plate-shaped workpiece into parallel light, a transmission filter that transmits interference light of the return light formed into the parallel light, a sensor that has coordinates for receiving the interference light transmitted through the transmission filter and detecting light intensity, and a controller that determines a coordinate position at which the light intensity detected by the sensor is high, as the thickness or height of the plate-shaped workpiece.

Abstract: A surface processing machine for processing a surface of a workpiece has a processing unit which includes a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam, a condenser that forms the laser beam which has been emitted by the laser oscillator, into a plurality of beams, a collimation lens that is arranged between the laser oscillator and the condenser and collimates the laser beam into parallel light, a beam intensity adjuster that is arranged between the condenser and the collimation lens and adjusts an intensity of the beams, and a rotating mechanism that rotates the condenser.

Abstract: There is provided an optical axis adjustment jig including a flat parallel-surface plate having an upper surface and a lower surface with reflective films disposed respectively thereon, and an image capturing unit disposed beneath the flat parallel-surface plate for capturing an image of a laser beam applied thereto. The flat parallel-surface plate is made of a material that is transmissive of a wavelength of the laser beam. The laser beam is applied through the flat parallel-surface plate to the image capturing unit. A tilt of the optical axis of the laser beam is detected on the basis of the shape of the beam spot of the laser beam whose image has been captured by the image capturing unit.

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 pulse duration measuring apparatus includes a polarizing beam splitter for splitting a pulsed laser beam into a first laser beam and a second laser beam, a first mirror for reflecting the first laser beam traveling toward the polarizing beam splitter, a second mirror for reflecting the second laser beam traveling toward the polarizing beam splitter, a first quarter wavelength plate disposed between the polarizing beam splitter and the first mirror, a second quarter wavelength plate disposed between the polarizing beam splitter and the second mirror, an optical path length changing unit for moving the first mirror or the second mirror to change the length of the respective optical paths, a nonlinear crystal body for allowing a combined laser beam to pass therethrough, and a photodetector for measuring an optical intensity of the combined laser beam that has passed through the nonlinear crystal body.

Abstract: A laser processing machine includes a condenser and a water pillar forming unit. The condenser condenses a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator and irradiates it to a workpiece held on a chuck table. The water pillar forming unit is disposed on a lower end of the condenser and is configured to form a thread-shaped water pillar on a front side of the workpiece. The laser oscillator includes a first laser oscillator, which emits a first laser beam having a short pulse width, and a second laser oscillator, which emits a second laser beam having a long pulse width. After the laser beams emitted from the first and second laser oscillators have transmitted through the thread-shaped water pillar formed by the water pillar forming unit and have been irradiated to the workpiece, a plasma occurred in the water pillar forming unit applies processing to the workpiece.

Abstract: A processing method of a workpiece used when the workpiece is processed is provided. The processing method of a workpiece includes a disposing step of disposing the workpiece in a gas containing a substance that generates an active species that reacts with the workpiece, a measurement step of measuring the distribution of the thickness of the workpiece disposed in the gas, and a laser beam irradiation step of irradiating the workpiece in the gas with a laser beam of which the power is adjusted based on the distribution of the thickness measured in the measurement step. In the laser beam irradiation step, the removal amount by which a region irradiated with the laser beam in the workpiece is removed by the active species is controlled by irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam of which the power is adjusted.

Abstract: A method of confirming an optical axis of a laser processing apparatus includes placing an image capturing unit so as to be movable in X-axis directions, removing a second mirror and capturing an image of a laser beam with the image capturing unit for receiving the laser beam reflected by a first mirror, installing the second mirror and capturing an image of the laser beam with the image capturing unit for receiving the laser beam reflected by a third mirror, and determining whether an optical axis of the laser beam reflected by the first mirror and an optical axis of the laser beam reflected by the third mirror exist in one XZ plane or not on the basis of the captured images and a reference line in the captured images.

Abstract: A spectral interference height detecting apparatus includes a chuck table for holding a workpiece thereon and a height detecting unit for detecting the height of an upper surface of the workpiece held on the chuck table. The height detecting unit includes a light source for emitting light in a predetermined wavelength band into a first optical path, a condenser disposed in the first optical path for converging light onto the workpiece held on the chuck table, a beam splitter disposed between the light source and the condenser for splitting the light in the first optical path into a second optical path, a mirror disposed in the second optical path to form a basic optical path length, for reflecting light into the second optical path and returning light through the beam splitter to the first optical path.