Abstract: A method of fixing a water-soluble protective member to a target includes a contacting step of bringing the target and the protective member into contact with each other, and after the contacting step, an affixing step of affixing the protective member to the target by supplying water to the protective member.

Abstract: A breaking method for dividing, along a division line, a wafer having division starting points formed along the division line. The breaking method includes a protective sheet arrangement step of arranging, on a side of a front surface of the wafer, a protective sheet that has a front surface and back surface formed flat and is free of any glue layer, an alignment step of, after performing the protective sheet arrangement step, capturing an image of the front surface of the wafer from a side of the protective sheet and conducting position matching between the division line and a pressing member, and a dividing step of, after performing the alignment step, dividing the wafer along the division line by pressing the pressing member against the wafer along the division line.

Abstract: A polishing method for a gallium nitride wafer includes a holding step of holding a first surface side of the gallium nitride wafer by a holding table, and a polishing step of polishing the gallium nitride wafer while supplying a polishing liquid to an area between a polishing pad and the gallium nitride wafer in a state in which the polishing pad is in contact with a second surface located on a side opposite to the first surface side of the gallium nitride wafer held by the holding table. The polishing liquid contains dissolved therein permanganate and a water-soluble ionic compound including one of or both nitrate ions and cerium(IV) ions.

Abstract: A forming method of a water-soluble protective film on a front surface of a plate-shaped object includes a water-soluble sheet arrangement step of arranging a water-soluble resin sheet having thermoplasticity on a side of the front surface of the plate-shaped object, and an integration step of heating the water-soluble resin sheet to melt or soften the same, and integrating the water-soluble resin sheet and the plate-shaped object, to form the water-soluble protective film on the plate-shaped object. Preferably, the water-soluble resin sheet may contain a light absorber. A processing method of a plate-shaped object includes the water-soluble sheet arrangement step and integration step.

Abstract: A method of laying a protective sheet on a face side of a wafer includes preparing a first protective sheet having, on one surface thereof, a non-adhesive portion to be coextensive with a device region of the wafer and an adhesive portion to be positioned along an outer circumferential excessive region of the wafer, affixing the one surface of the first protective sheet to the face side of the wafer, dropping a liquid resin onto a surface of a second protective sheet that has surface irregularities ranging from Ra 0.2 to 7 ?m and is free of an adhesive layer, bringing another surface of the first protective sheet into facing relation to the surface of the second protective sheet onto which the liquid resin has been dropped, and curing the liquid resin.

Abstract: A polishing pad for polishing a silicon carbide substrate contains polyurethane and abrasive grains fixed by the polyurethane, and has a loss tangent (tan ?) represented by loss modulus (E?)/storage modulus (E?) of 0.1 to 0.35 at 30° C. and a glass transition temperature of 40° C. to 65° C. Also, a polishing method for polishing the silicon carbide substrate includes a holding step of holding a workpiece having the silicon carbide substrate by a chuck table and a polishing step of polishing the silicon carbide substrate by the polishing pad.

Abstract: A setting method of a protective component includes a resin supply step of supplying a thermoplastic resin to a flat support surface of a support table, and a protective component forming step of shaping the thermoplastic resin into a sheet shape through pressing and spreading the thermoplastic resin along the support surface while heating and softening the thermoplastic resin to form a protective component of the thermoplastic resin in the sheet shape on the support surface. The setting method includes also a protective component bonding step of bringing a front surface that is one surface of the workpiece into tight contact with one surface of the protective component in the sheet shape and heating the protective component in tight contact to bond the protective component to the workpiece, and a post-bonding cooling step of cooling the protective component heated in the protective component bonding step.

Abstract: A method of placing a protective member on a workpiece includes a sheet producing step of heating a plate-shaped thermoplastic resin to soften or melt the same while gripping and pulling outer edges of the thermoplastic resin in at least four directions to produce a sheet-like protective member, and after the sheet producing step, an integrating step of heating and bringing the sheet-like protective member into intimate contact with the workpiece to integrate the workpiece and the protective member with each other.

Abstract: There is provided a manufacturing method of a protective-component-provided workpiece. The manufacturing method of a protective-component-provided workpiece includes a step of dissolving a thermoplastic resin whose solubility parameter is equal to or higher than 8.5, in a liquid ultraviolet-curable resin, to prepare a liquid mixed resin, a step of supplying the mixed resin to a support surface of a support table to form a resin layer with a predetermined thickness, a step of irradiating the resin layer with ultraviolet rays and curing the resin layer to form a protective component with a sheet shape, and a step of heating the sheet-shaped protective component before or after one surface of the sheet-shaped protective component and one surface of the workpiece are brought into close contact with each other, and causing the sheet-shaped protective component to come into close contact with the workpiece and integrate with the workpiece.

Abstract: Provided is a polishing liquid that is used when one surface of a wafer is polished by use of a fixed abrasive grain polishing pad with abrasive grains fixed in the pad, in which an organic salt that exhibits a basic property by hydrolysis and contains no metal and an organic base that contains no metal are dissolved, and no abrasive grains are contained. Preferably, the organic salt includes a strong basic cation and a weak acidic anion, and the organic base contains at least one of ammonia, an amine, and a basic amino acid.

Abstract: A setting method of a protective component includes a resin supply step of supplying a thermoplastic resin to a flat support surface of a support table, and a protective component forming step of shaping the thermoplastic resin into a sheet shape through pressing and spreading the thermoplastic resin along the support surface while heating and softening the thermoplastic resin to form a protective component of the thermoplastic resin in the sheet shape on the support surface. The setting method includes also a protective component bonding step of bringing a front surface that is one surface of the workpiece into tight contact with one surface of the protective component in the sheet shape and heating the protective component in tight contact to bond the protective component to the workpiece, and a post-bonding cooling step of cooling the protective component heated in the protective component bonding step.

Abstract: A package substrate cutting jig table for use in cutting a package substrate is provided. The jig table includes a jig base and a holding member adapted to be detachably mounted on the jig base. The holding member includes a holding surface for holding the package substrate, a plurality of escape grooves formed on the holding surface for preventing the interference of a cutting blade with the holding member, the escape grooves corresponding to a plurality of division lines formed on the package substrate, and a plurality of suction holes formed in a plurality of separate regions defined by the escape grooves on the holding surface. The holding member is formed of a material having a dynamic viscoelastic modulus ranging from 0.16 to 0.41.

Abstract: A method of polishing an SiC substrate in contact with a polishing pad containing abrasive grains includes the steps of polishing the SiC substrate while supplying an acid polishing liquid to an area where the SiC substrate and the polishing pad contact each other, and thereafter, polishing the SiC substrate while supplying only water to the area while stopping supplying the acid polishing liquid.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a small-diameter wafer from a wafer having one face and the other face, the one face being mirror-polished, is provided. The method includes a protective member covering step of covering the one face of the wafer with a first protective member and the other face of the wafer with a second protective member, a cut-out step of cutting out a plurality of small-diameter wafers from the wafer covered with the first protective member and the second protective member, a chamfering step of chamfering an outer periphery portion of each of the plurality of small-diameter wafers, and a protective member removing step of removing the first protective member and the second protective member from each of the plurality of small-diameter wafers.

Abstract: A polishing pad of a polishing apparatus contains abrasive grains, and is formed with a plurality of grooves in an adhesion surface to be adhered to a support base. The polishing pad has a plurality of communication holes penetrating to a flat polishing surface, and a polishing liquid is distributed into the plurality of grooves and is supplied to the polishing surface through the plurality of communication holes.

Abstract: A package substrate cutting jig table for use in cutting a package substrate is provided. The jig table includes a jig base and a holding member adapted to be detachably mounted on the jig base. The holding member includes a holding surface for holding the package substrate, a plurality of escape grooves formed on the holding surface for preventing the interference of a cutting blade with the holding member, the escape grooves corresponding to a plurality of division lines formed on the package substrate, and a plurality of suction holes formed in a plurality of separate regions defined by the escape grooves on the holding surface. The holding member is formed of a material having a dynamic viscoelastic modulus ranging from 0.16 to 0.41.