Abstract: A liquid supply mechanism is disposed on an upper portion of a holding unit of a laser processing apparatus. The liquid supply mechanism includes: a liquid chamber having a transparent plate positioned such that a gap is formed between the transparent plate and the top surface of a workpiece held on a holding table; a linear-motion mechanism configured to linearly move the transparent plate over the liquid chamber; a liquid supply nozzle configured to supply a liquid from one side of the liquid chamber to the gap; and a liquid discharge nozzle configured to discharge the liquid from another side of the liquid chamber. A laser beam irradiating unit includes a laser oscillator configured to irradiate the workpiece through the transparent plate and the liquid supplied to the gap.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus for measuring a thickness of a wafer includes a light source emitting light having a transmission wavelength region to the wafer, a focusing unit applying the light emitted from the light source to the wafer held on a chuck table, an optical branching section branching the light reflected on the wafer held on the chuck table, a diffraction grating diffracting the reflected light branched by the optical branching section to obtain diffracted light of different wavelengths, an image sensor detecting an intensity of the diffracted light obtained by the diffraction grating to produce a spectral interference waveform, and a computing unit computing the spectral interference waveform produced by the image sensor to output thickness information.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiation unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a first laser oscillator that emits a first laser beam with a short pulse width, a second laser oscillator that emits a second laser beam with a long pulse width, a polarizing beam splitter that combines the first laser beam and the second laser beam, and a liquid layer forming instrument that forms a layer of a liquid on the upper surface of a workpiece. The same place on the workpiece is irradiated with the first laser beam and the second laser beam while a chuck table and the laser beam irradiation unit are relatively moved, and plasma generated when irradiation with the first laser beam is performed through the layer of the liquid is grown by energy of the second laser beam to perform processing for the workpiece.

Abstract: There is provided a SAW filter manufacturing method for manufacturing a SAW filter from a piezoelectric substrate having planned dividing lines set on a top surface of the piezoelectric substrate, and having a device including comb-shaped electrodes in regions demarcated by the planned dividing lines. The method includes a structure forming step of forming a structure having projections and depressions on an undersurface side of the piezoelectric substrate by irradiating the piezoelectric substrate with a laser beam of a wavelength absorbable by the piezoelectric substrate from the undersurface side of the piezoelectric substrate, and a dividing step of dividing the piezoelectric substrate along the planned dividing lines after the structure forming step.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus for measuring the thickness of a workpiece held on a chuck table includes the followings: a light source configured to emit white light; an optical branching unit configured to branch, to a second optical path, reflected light applied from the light source to the workpiece held on the chuck table via a first optical path and reflected from the workpiece; a diffraction grating disposed in the second optical path; an image sensor configured to detect an optical intensity signal of light separated into each wavelength by the diffraction grating; and a thickness output unit configured to generate a spectral interference waveform on the basis of the optical intensity signal detected by the image sensor, determine the thickness on the basis of the spectral interference waveform, and output the thickness.

Abstract: An imaging unit for an ultrafast imaging apparatus includes an objective lens opposing a workpiece supported on a chuck table, a beam splitter disposed in a first optical path extending from the objective lens, an image processing unit disposed in a second optical path extending from the beam splitter, and an illumination unit disposed in a third optical path extending from the beam splitter. The illumination unit includes a broadband pulsed light source, and a spectrometer configured to divide a single pulse of light, which has been emitted from the broadband pulsed light source, into a plurality of wavelengths and to produce a time lag between each two adjacent ones of the plurality of wavelengths.

Abstract: A testing system for testing a workpiece for a characteristic by irradiating microwaves to the workpiece and also irradiating a laser beam at an irradiation position of the microwaves, receiving microwaves reflected at the irradiation position where the workpiece has a reflectivity increased by carriers generated through photoexcitation, and measuring a lifetime of the carriers. The testing system includes a chuck table that holds the workpiece, a microwave irradiation unit that irradiates the microwaves to the workpiece held on the chuck table, a microwave reception unit that receives microwaves reflected by the workpiece, and a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates the laser beam onto the irradiation position to which the microwaves have been irradiated.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus has a thickness measuring unit including a white light source, a diffracting mechanism that diffracts white light emitted from the white light source into diffracted light at time differences corresponding to the wavelengths of light components of the white light, a two-dimensional image sensor having a photodetection area that include a plurality of pixels for detecting return light reflected from upper and lower surfaces of a plate-shaped workpiece, a storage unit that stores, as a spectral interference waveform, intensities of the return light corresponding to the wavelengths of the light components successively received at the time differences by the pixels, and a waveform table recording therein a plurality of kinds of sample spectral interference waveforms corresponding to plate-shaped workpiece thicknesses.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus including a thickness measuring unit for measuring the thickness of a plate-shaped workpiece. The thickness measuring unit includes a white light source for emitting white light, a dispersing mechanism for producing time differences corresponding to wavelengths of light components of the white light to thereby generate spectral light, a two-dimensional image sensor having a photodetecting area for detecting the return light, the photodetecting area including a plurality of pixels, a storing section for storing the intensity of the return light detected by the plural pixels according to wavelength with time difference, a waveform table previously storing a plurality of kinds of sample spectral interference waveforms respectively corresponding to different thicknesses of the workpiece, and a thickness deciding section for deciding the thickness at an X-Y coordinate position in a two-dimensional area of the workpiece.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus includes a white light source for emitting white light, a dispersing mechanism for producing time differences corresponding to the wavelengths of light components of the white light to thereby generate spectral light, the spectral light being applied to the workpiece and then reflected on the upper surface and the lower surface of the workpiece to obtain return light, a two-dimensional image sensor having a photodetecting area for detecting the return light, the photodetecting area including a plurality of pixels, a storing section for storing the intensity of the return light detected by the plural pixels according to wavelength with time difference, the intensity of the return light detected by each pixel being stored as a spectral interference waveform, and a thickness computing section for computing the thickness of the workpiece from the spectral interference waveform stored in the storing section.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a laser beam applying unit. The laser beam applying unit includes a laser oscillator for oscillating a laser beam, a focusing lens for focusing the laser beam to apply the laser beam to a wafer, a first optical path changing part, a second optical path changing part, and a controller. The first optical path changing part has a pair of first-axis resonant scanners which are disposed on the downstream side with respect to the propagating direction of the laser beam oscillated from the laser oscillator and which change the optical path of the laser beam into a Y-axis direction. The second optical path changing part has a pair of second-axis resonant scanners which are disposed between the first optical path changing part and the focusing lens and which change the optical path of the laser beam into an X-axis direction.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus for measuring a thickness of a wafer includes a light source emitting light having a transmission wavelength region to the wafer, a focusing unit applying the light emitted from the light source to the wafer held on a chuck table, an optical branching section branching the light reflected on the wafer held on the chuck table, a diffraction grating diffracting the reflected light branched by the optical branching section to obtain diffracted light of different wavelengths, an image sensor detecting an intensity of the diffracted light obtained by the diffraction grating to produce a spectral interference waveform, and a computing unit computing the spectral interference waveform produced by the image sensor to output thickness information.

Abstract: A thickness measuring apparatus measures the thickness of a wafer. The apparatus includes a light source for emitting light having a transmission wavelength region to the wafer, a focusing unit for applying the light emitted from the light source to the wafer, a first optical path for optically connecting the light source to the focusing unit, an optical branching section provided on the first optical path for branching the light reflected on the wafer and then guiding the reflected light to a second optical path, a diffraction grating provided on the second optical path for diffracting the reflected light to obtain diffracted light of different wavelengths, an image sensor for detecting the intensity of the diffracted light according to the different wavelengths and producing a spectral interference waveform, and a control unit having a thickness computing section for computing the spectral interference waveform to output thickness information.

Abstract: A non-destructive detection method includes, after carrying out a preparation step of preparing an inspection apparatus, an image acquisition step of intermittently moving an objective lens by a predetermined distance in a Z-axis direction orthogonal to an X-Y plane to be made closer to a first surface, positioning a focal point to a Z-axis coordinate value where a distance of the focal point extends by a refractive index of a workpiece, acquiring an X-Y plane image of an inside of the workpiece for each of a plurality of Z-axis coordinate values, and then, recording the acquired images in a recording unit, and a modified layer detecting step of detecting a state of a modified layer from the X-Y plane image for each of the plurality of Z-axis coordinate values recorded in the recording unit.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a laser beam applying unit having a focusing unit applying a laser beam to a workpiece held on a chuck table, a feeding mechanism relatively moving the chuck table and the laser beam applying unit, and a chamber having a top wall connected to the focusing unit and a side wall connected to the top wall to define an enclosed space, the top wall having a transparent plate located directly below the focusing unit and allowing the pass of the laser beam applied from the focusing unit. The laser processing apparatus further includes a liquid supplying unit supplying a liquid into the enclosed space to make a condition that the enclosed space is filled with the liquid under a predetermined pressure.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a holding unit having a holding table holding a plate-shaped workpiece, a laser beam applying unit applying a pulsed laser beam to the workpiece held on the holding table to thereby process the workpiece, and a liquid supply mechanism supplying a liquid to the workpiece held on the holding table to provide a condition where the workpiece is immersed in the liquid. The liquid supply mechanism includes a chamber having a transparent plate located above the holding table with a spacing defined between the lower surface of the transparent plate and the upper surface of the workpiece held on the holding table, the chamber being held on the upper surface of the holding unit to define an enclosed space.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus has a liquid supply mechanism disposed at an upper portion of a holding unit. The liquid supply mechanism includes: a pool adapted to form a layer of a liquid on an upper surface of a workpiece held by a holding table; a transparent plate disposed such as to make contact with the layer of the liquid; a jet nozzle adapted to jet the liquid by positioning a jet port between an upper surface of the workpiece and the transparent plate toward an application position of a laser beam applied to the workpiece through the transparent plate; a liquid supply nozzle adapted to supply the liquid from one side of the pool; and a liquid discharge nozzle adapted to discharge the liquid from the other side of the pool.

Abstract: A non-destructive detection method includes, after carrying out a preparation step of preparing an inspection apparatus, an image acquisition step of intermittently moving an objective lens by a predetermined distance in a Z-axis direction orthogonal to an X-Y plane to be made closer to a first surface, positioning a focal point to a Z-axis coordinate value where a distance of the focal point extends by a refractive index of a workpiece, acquiring an X-Y plane image of an inside of the workpiece for each of a plurality of Z-axis coordinate values, and then, recording the acquired images in a recording unit, and a modified layer detecting step of detecting a state of a modified layer from the X-Y plane image for each of the plurality of Z-axis coordinate values recorded in the recording unit.

Abstract: A laser processing method for performing groove processing by applying to a workpiece a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be absorbed in the workpiece includes: a protective member disposing step of disposing a protective member on an upper surface of the workpiece; a liquid layer forming step of forming a liquid layer on the upper surface of the workpiece; a laser beam applying step of applying the laser beam through the liquid layer to subject the upper surface of the workpiece to groove processing and to produce minute bubbles; and a debris removing step of removing debris from inside of grooves by rupture of the bubbles.

Abstract: A liquid supply mechanism is disposed on an upper portion of a holding unit of a laser processing apparatus. The liquid supply mechanism includes: a liquid chamber having a transparent plate positioned such that a gap is formed between the transparent plate and the top surface of a workpiece held on a holding table; a linear-motion mechanism configured to linearly move the transparent plate over the liquid chamber; a liquid supply nozzle configured to supply a liquid from one side of the liquid chamber to the gap; and a liquid discharge nozzle configured to discharge the liquid from another side of the liquid chamber. A laser beam irradiating unit includes a laser oscillator configured to irradiate the workpiece through the transparent plate and the liquid supplied to the gap.