Abstract: A laser oscillation mechanism of a laser beam irradiation unit has a first mode to break growing debris, a second mode to suppress generation of molten debris, and a third mode to break the growing debris and suppress generation of the molten debris. The laser oscillation mechanism includes a selecting part that selects any of the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode. The laser oscillation mechanism sets a repetition frequency with a first group being one unit in the first mode, and sets a repetition frequency with a second group being one unit in the second mode, and sets a repetition frequency with a third group being one unit in the third mode.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillating mechanism for emitting pulsed laser beams. The laser oscillating mechanism includes a group setting section for establishing the number of pulsed laser beams to be applied to a workpiece until a time after which melted debris produced by the pulsed laser beams applied to the workpiece is solidified, and assigns the pulsed laser beams to a group, under conditions that, within a period of time which is shorter than a period of time in which the melted debris is produced, and within a period of time after which a plasma generated by the pulsed laser beam becomes extinct, a next pulsed laser beam is applied to the workpiece to sustain the plasma uninterruptedly to break growing debris, and a time interval setting section for establishing a time interval between the group and another group adjacent thereto.

Abstract: A laser beam irradiating unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillating mechanism. The laser oscillating mechanism includes a group setting unit configured to, on a condition that a pulsed laser beam is applied at shorter time intervals than a length of time that molten debris is generated, set the number of pulsed laser beams to be applied until a time that the molten debris is solidified and set the number of pulsed laser beams as one group. A time interval setting unit is configured to set a time until heat generated by application of the pulsed laser beams of the one group is cooled, which serves as a time interval between the one group and an adjacent group, and set time intervals of the pulsed laser beams constituting the one group. The laser oscillating mechanism sets a repetition frequency with the one group as one unit.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece, a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates the workpiece with a laser beam, and a feed mechanism that moves the chuck table and the laser beam irradiation unit relative to each other to execute processing feed. The laser beam irradiation unit includes a laser oscillation mechanism that emits a pulsed laser beam and a beam condenser that condenses the pulsed laser beam emitted by the laser oscillation mechanism and irradiates the workpiece with the pulsed laser beam. The laser oscillation mechanism has a group setting part that sets multiple pulsed laser beams into one group and a time interval setting part that sets a time interval of the pulsed laser beams that configure the one group, and sets the repetition frequency in such a manner as to regard the one group as one unit.

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 method of processing a wafer includes removing a functional layer on projected dicing lines, thereby exposing a substrate, and cutting the wafer along the projected dicing lines where the substrate is exposed, thereby fabricating individual device chips. A laser applying apparatus includes a beam branching unit for branching a laser beam spot into at least two slender spots spaced from each other in a processing direction along the projected dicing lines, and orienting longer sides of the slender spots transversely across the projected dicing lines and shorter sides of the slender spots in the processing direction. A wafer region processed by the laser beams is expanded by moving the at least two slender spots from the beam branching unit in such a manner as to make the longer sides of the slender spots shifted in opposite directions transversely across the projected dicing lines.

Abstract: First penetrating paths that penetrate an insulating film are formed by irradiation with a laser beam along the boundaries of multiple devices from a surface side of the insulating film prior to formation of a mask used when a wafer is divided by plasma etching (protective film forming step and second laser beam irradiation step). In this case, the irradiation condition of the laser beam for removing the desired part of the insulating film and the irradiation condition of the laser beam for forming the mask, that is, for removing the desired part of a protective film, can each be set to a preferable condition. As a result, it becomes possible to improve the processing accuracy when the wafer is divided to manufacture chips.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for processing a wafer having a front surface on which a pattern and a plurality of crossing planned dividing lines are formed, along the planned dividing lines. The method includes holding the front surface of the wafer by a holding table, detecting the planned dividing lines on the front surface from a side of the front surface through the holding table or from a side of a back surface by using an infrared camera and processing the wafer by using a processing unit from the side of the back surface along the planned dividing lines, and an inspection step of placing the wafer on an inspection table and inspecting processing quality from the back surface after the processing step. In the inspection step, a defective portion is stored on a basis of a characteristic point such as a notch.

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus including a supporting unit having a frame fixing section fixing the frame, and a wafer table having a front side and a rear side, the front side including a supporting face supporting the wafer and a transparent plate, a liquid layer forming unit including a nozzle section and forming a layer of a liquid on the supporting face of the wafer table, an imaging unit including an imaging camera positioned adjacent to the rear side of the wafer table and opposite to the supporting face on the front side of the wafer table and an air blowing nozzle blowing air to a region between the wafer table and the adhesive sheet.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for a device chip includes a wafer preparation step of preparing a wafer including a base substrate, a laser beam absorbing layer layered on a front surface of the base substrate, and a device layer being layered on the laser beam absorbing layer and having devices formed in respective separate regions demarcated by a plurality of crossing division lines, a device layer dividing step of forming respective division grooves that divide at least the device layer into individual device chips along the plurality of division lines, and a lift-off step of, after the device layer dividing step is carried out, applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be absorbed in the laser beam absorbing layer, from the base substrate side, and lifting off a device chip from the front surface of the base substrate.

Abstract: A wafer processing method includes a liquid layer forming step of forming a layer of a liquid on a supporting face of a wafer table included in a supporting unit, a fixing step of placing a side of an adhesive sheet of the wafer on the wafer table on which the layer of the liquid has been formed, and fixing the wafer to the wafer table through the adhesive sheet, a detecting step of imaging the wafer with an imaging unit which is positioned opposite to the supporting face of the wafer table to thereby detect the division lines formed on the front side of the wafer, and a processing step of processing a portion on a back side of the wafer corresponding to each of the division lines.

Abstract: A workpiece processing method for processing a workpiece using a processing apparatus including a chuck table, a processing unit, a moving mechanism for moving the chuck table and the processing unit relative to each other, and an imaging unit for imaging the workpiece, where the chuck table includes a holding member formed by a transparent body and a supporting member supporting a part of the holding member and connected to an angle control mechanism. The method includes a tape affixing step, a holding step of holding the workpiece by the chuck table via the tape, and an identifying step of imaging the top surface side of the workpiece through the transparent holding member by the imaging unit positioned in a region that is on a lower side of the holding member and is not superimposed on the supporting member, and identifying a region to be processed in the workpiece.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a chuck table configured to hold a workpiece by a holding surface, a processing unit configured to process the workpiece held by the chuck table, a moving mechanism configured to move the chuck table and the processing unit relative to each other along a direction parallel with the holding surface of the chuck table, an angle control mechanism disposed on the moving mechanism and on a lower side of the chuck table, the angle control mechanism controlling an angle of the chuck table, and an imaging unit configured to image the workpiece held by the chuck table, the chuck table including a holding member formed by a transparent body and holding the workpiece and a supporting member supporting a part of the holding member and connected to the angle control mechanism.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a laser beam applying mechanism for applying a laser beam to a workpiece held by a holding mechanism while keeping a converged spot of the laser beam in the workpiece, and a temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the holding mechanism or a temperature of an actuator of a moving mechanism that moves the holding mechanism in a processing feed direction. The laser beam applying mechanism has a converged spot position adjusting unit. The controller, depending on a temperature change detected by the temperature detector, controls the converged spot position adjusting unit to establish a position of the converged spot of the laser beam in a thicknesswise direction of the workpiece.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for processing a wafer having a substrate and a device layer formed on a front side of the substrate includes forming a mask on a back side of the wafer, so as to form an etched groove along each street through a thickness of the substrate from the back side of the wafer, performing plasma etching from the back side of the wafer through the mask to the substrate after forming the mask, thereby forming the etched groove in the substrate along each street so that the etched groove has a depth equal to the thickness of the substrate, and applying a laser beam to the device layer along each street from the front side of the wafer before etching and mask forming, thereby forming a device layer dividing groove corresponding to the etched groove along each street.

Abstract: A wafer processing method includes the following steps: forming, on a back side of a wafer including a device layer, a mask to be used in forming grooves in a substrate along streets from the back side of the wafer; applying plasma etching from the back side of the wafer through the mask to form the grooves in the substrate along the streets and to define chip regions surrounded by the grooves; immersing the wafer in water, to which ultrasonic vibrations are being applied, after the etching step, whereby the device layer is cracked or ruptured along outer peripheral edges of the chip regions; and bonding a tape to a front side of the wafer before performance of the water immersion step.

Abstract: A wafer processing method includes a liquid layer forming step of forming a layer of a liquid on a supporting face of a wafer table included in a supporting unit, a fixing step of placing a side of an adhesive sheet of the wafer on the wafer table on which the layer of the liquid has been formed, and fixing the wafer to the wafer table through the adhesive sheet, a detecting step of imaging the wafer with an imaging unit which is positioned opposite to the supporting face of the wafer table to thereby detect the division lines formed on the front side of the wafer, and a processing step of processing a portion on a back side of the wafer corresponding to each of the division lines.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a branching unit configured to branch a laser beam to a first optical path and a second optical path, a condenser configured to condense the branched laser beams on a processing face of a workpiece, an output power measuring unit configured to measure the output power of the laser beam emitted from a laser beam generation unit and having passed through the condenser, and a blocking member positioning mechanism disposed between the condenser and the output power measuring unit and capable of positioning a blocking member between a first laser beam blocking position at which the blocking member blocks only the laser beam of the first optical path from between the branched laser beams and a retracted position at which the blocking member blocks none of the laser beams.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a chuck table configured to hold a workpiece by a holding surface, a processing unit configured to process the workpiece held by the chuck table, a moving mechanism configured to move the chuck table and the processing unit relative to each other along a direction parallel with the holding surface of the chuck table, an angle control mechanism disposed on the moving mechanism and on a lower side of the chuck table, the angle control mechanism controlling an angle of the chuck table, and an imaging unit configured to image the workpiece held by the chuck table, the chuck table including a holding member formed by a transparent body and holding the workpiece and a supporting member supporting a part of the holding member and connected to the angle control mechanism.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes: a chuck table that holds a packaged wafer by a holding surface; a laser processing unit that applies a laser beam to the packaged wafer to form a through-groove along each division line; an X-axis moving unit that moves the chuck table in an X-axis direction; and an examination unit. The chuck table includes: a holding member that forms the holding surface; and a light emitting body. The examination unit includes: a line sensor that extends in a Y-axis direction; and a control unit that determines the result of processing through reception by the line sensor of light from the light emitting body through the through-groove. The line sensor images the whole surface of the packaged wafer being held by the chuck table.