Abstract: An elongated ferromagnetic anodic electrode is fixed to a tightly closable pipe shape vacuum casing so as to extend within the casing as a cantilever and magnetic field applying module is disposed so as to concentrate magnetic field at a tip side position of the ferromagnetic anodic electrode in an area of discharge optical emission when a high voltage is applied between the anodic electrode and the vacuum casing as a cathode electrode. In addition, a vacuum casing can be formed with a ferromagnetic and soft magnetic material for magnetic flux to be permeable well, or a tip side alone of an anodic electrode rather than the anodic electrode itself can be formed with a ferromagnetic material, or a ferromagnetic member can be disposed at a near position of an anodic electrode, so as to concentrate magnetic field in a vicinity of a tip of an anodic electrode.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes: a chuck table for holding a single-crystal SiC ingot on a holding surface thereof; a laser beam applying unit for applying a laser beam to the single-crystal SiC ingot held on the holding surface of the chuck table; and a camera unit configured to capture an image of the single-crystal SiC ingot held on the holding surface of the chuck table. The chuck table includes a porous material making up the holding surface and a glass frame made of a non-porous material and having a recess defined therein and receiving the porous material fitted therein, and a negative pressure transfer path for transferring a negative pressure to the porous material fitted in the recess.

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing apparatus includes a chuck table configured to hold an SiC ingot by a suction surface with a wafer to be manufactured on an upper side, an ultrasonic oscillating unit configured to oscillate an ultrasonic wave, a water supply unit, and a peeling unit configured to suck and hold the wafer to be manufactured, and peel the wafer to be manufactured. The chuck table includes a porous plate forming the suction surface and a base supporting the porous plate, and sucks and holds the SiC ingot even in a state in which an area of a second surface of the SiC ingot is smaller than an area of the suction surface, and the water flows on the suction surface exposed on the periphery of the SiC ingot.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes a chuck table that holds an SiC ingot on a holding surface, a laser beam irradiation unit that positions the focal point of a laser beam to a depth equivalent to the thickness of a wafer to be produced from a first surface and that irradiates the SiC ingot with the laser beam to form a separation layer arising from separation of SiC into Si and C and extension of cracks along a c-plane. A movement unit relatively moves the chuck table and the laser beam irradiation unit, and a separation layer inspecting unit executes irradiation with inspection light with such a wavelength as to have transmissibility with respect to the SiC ingot and be reflected by the separation layer, and inspects the separation layer from the intensity of reflected light. The holding surface has a color that absorbs the inspection light.

Abstract: A wafer manufacturing apparatus includes a chuck table configured to hold an SiC ingot by a suction surface with a wafer to be manufactured on an upper side, an ultrasonic oscillating unit configured to oscillate an ultrasonic wave, a water supply unit, and a peeling unit configured to suck and hold the wafer to be manufactured, and peel the wafer to be manufactured. The chuck table includes a porous plate forming the suction surface and a base supporting the porous plate, and sucks and holds the SiC ingot even in a state in which an area of a second surface of the SiC ingot is smaller than an area of the suction surface, and the water flows on the suction surface exposed on the periphery of the SiC ingot.

Abstract: A porous chuck table for holding a plate-like workpiece under suction includes a porous plate having a porous structure, the porous plate having a holding surface for holding the workpiece under suction thereon, and a frame surrounding the porous plate and having a face side lying flush with the holding surface. The porous plate is at least made of spherical glass particles, adjacent ones of the glass particles are partly joined together, and interstices between adjacent ones of the partly joined glass particles function as pores through which a fluid can flow.

Abstract: A chuck table includes a main part having a holding surface for holding thereon a workpiece through a dicing tape, and a frame holder disposed around the main part for holding the annular frame. The main part has a flat surface that functions as the holding surface, an outer circumferential suction groove defined in a region of the holding surface that underlies an annular region of the adhesive tape between the workpiece and the frame of the frame unit, for holding the annular region of the adhesive tape under suction, and a suction channel held in fluid communication with the outer circumferential suction groove and a suction source. The frame holder pulls down the frame to a position lower than the holding surface to hold the dicing tape in close contact with the holding surface.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a chuck table for holding a plate-shaped workpiece under suction on a holding surface thereof, a processing unit for processing the workpiece held on the holding surface of the chuck table, and a moving unit for moving a support base supporting the chuck table thereon in a processing-feed direction. The chuck table is formed from a porous material having pores, and has the holding surface and a mountable assembly positioned opposite the holding surface and mountable on an upper surface of the support base. Fluid passages defined in the chuck table for allowing a negative pressure transmitted from the support base to act on the holding surface are provided only by the pores in the porous material.

Abstract: An elongated ferromagnetic anodic electrode is fixed to a tightly closable pipe shape vacuum casing so as to extend within the casing as a cantilever and magnetic field applying module is disposed so as to concentrate magnetic field at a tip side position of the ferromagnetic anodic electrode in an area of discharge optical emission when a high voltage is applied between the anodic electrode and the vacuum casing as a cathode electrode. In addition, a vacuum casing can be formed with a ferromagnetic and soft magnetic material for magnetic flux to be permeable well, or a tip side alone of an anodic electrode rather than the anodic electrode itself can be formed with a ferromagnetic material, or a ferromagnetic member can be disposed at a near position of an anodic electrode, so as to concentrate magnetic field in a vicinity of a tip of an anodic electrode.

Abstract: A chuck table for holding a plate-shaped workpiece under suction includes a suction plate made of porous ceramics and having a plurality of open pores, and a frame covering a side surface and a reverse side, except an attractive suction surface, of the suction plate and having a plurality of suction grooves defined in an upper surface thereof and a fluid communication passage defined therein that holds the suction grooves in fluid communication with a suction source, the frame supporting the suction plate thereon. The suction plate has a porosity in the range from 60% to 70% by volume, and the open pores have diameters in the range from 10 ?m to 25 ?m.

Abstract: A porous chuck table for holding a plate-like workpiece under suction includes a porous plate having a porous structure, the porous plate having a holding surface for holding the workpiece under suction thereon, and a frame surrounding the porous plate and having a face side lying flush with the holding surface. The porous plate is at least made of spherical glass particles, adjacent ones of the glass particles are partly joined together, and interstices between adjacent ones of the partly joined glass particles function as pores through which a fluid can flow.

Abstract: A chuck table includes a main part having a holding surface for holding thereon a workpiece through a dicing tape, and a frame holder disposed around the main part for holding the annular frame. The main part has a flat surface that functions as the holding surface, an outer circumferential suction groove defined in a region of the holding surface that underlies an annular region of the adhesive tape between the workpiece and the frame of the frame unit, for holding the annular region of the adhesive tape under suction, and a suction channel held in fluid communication with the outer circumferential suction groove and a suction source. The frame holder pulls down the frame to a position lower than the holding surface to hold the dicing tape in close contact with the holding surface.

Abstract: A laser processing apparatus includes: a chuck table for holding a single-crystal SiC ingot on a holding surface thereof; a laser beam applying unit for applying a laser beam to the single-crystal SiC ingot held on the holding surface of the chuck table; and a camera unit configured to capture an image of the single-crystal SiC ingot held on the holding surface of the chuck table. The chuck table includes a porous material making up the holding surface and a glass frame made of a non-porous material and having a recess defined therein and receiving the porous material fitted therein, and a negative pressure transfer path for transferring a negative pressure to the porous material fitted in the recess.

Abstract: A chuck table for holding a plate-shaped workpiece under suction includes a suction plate made of porous ceramics and having a plurality of open pores, and a frame covering a side surface and a reverse side, except an attractive suction surface, of the suction plate and having a plurality of suction grooves defined in an upper surface thereof and a fluid communication passage defined therein that holds the suction grooves in fluid communication with a suction source, the frame supporting the suction plate thereon. The suction plate has a porosity in the range from 60% to 70% by volume, and the open pores have diameters in the range from 10 ?m to 25 ?m.

Abstract: The image recognition device includes an imaging means for generating an image of a subject, a local area storage means for storing information relating to a local area set in an imaging screen of the imaging means, and an image data processing means for performing exposure control of the imaging means and image recognition processing, based on the image within the local area specified by the information stored in the local area storage means, of the image generated by the imaging means.

Abstract: Provided are a leakage inspection apparatus and a leakage inspection method for inspecting the flow rate of leakage from a tested body disposed in a tested-body chamber 21. The leakage inspection apparatus includes liquid supplying and pressurizing means 11 for supplying a probe liquid to the inside of the tested-body chamber 21 and pressurizing the probe liquid to a high pressure 0.1 MPa or more, vacuum evacuation means 22-b, 23-b and a quadrupole mass spectrometer 34. The tested body 21 is evacuated, the probe liquid is supplied to the inside of the tested body and pressurized to 0.1 MPa or more and the concentration of a probe medium leaked from the tested body and evaporated in a vacuum is measured by the quadrupole mass spectrometer 34, thereby measuring the flow rate of leakage from the tested body. This makes it possible to determine the flow rate of leakage using a liquid as a probe medium and simultaneously possible to perform a pressure tightness inspection at an atmospheric pressure of 0.

Abstract: Provided are a leakage inspection apparatus and a leakage inspection method for inspecting the flow rate of leakage from a tested body disposed in a tested-body chamber 21. The leakage inspection apparatus includes liquid supplying and pressurizing means 11 for supplying a probe liquid to the inside of the tested-body chamber 21 and pressurizing the probe liquid to a high pressure 0.1 MPa or more, vacuum evacuation means 22-b, 23-b and a quadrupole mass spectrometer 34. The tested body 21 is evacuated, the probe liquid is supplied to the inside of the tested body and pressurized to 0.1 MPa or more and the concentration of a probe medium leaked from the tested body and evaporated in a vacuum is measured by the quadrupole mass spectrometer 34, thereby measuring the flow rate of leakage from the tested body. This makes it possible to determine the flow rate of leakage using a liquid as a probe medium and simultaneously possible to perform a pressure tightness inspection at an atmospheric pressure of 0.

Abstract: A method of grinding a wafer, including: a wafer holding step for holding a wafer on a conical holding surface of a chuck table having the holding surface; a rough grinding step for performing rough grinding of the wafer held on the holding surface of the chuck table by positioning a grinding surface of a rough grinding wheel at a predetermined inclination angle relative to the holding surface of said chuck table, and rotating the rough grinding wheel; and a finish grinding step for performing finish grinding of the wafer by positioning a grinding surface of a finish grinding wheel in parallel to the holding surface of the chuck table, and rotating the finish grinding wheel in a grinding region of the grinding wheel in a direction toward the vertex of the contact angle between the grinding surface of the finish grinding wheel and the surface to be ground of the wafer.

Abstract: A polishing tool comprising a support member, and polishing means fixed to the support member. The polishing means is composed of felt having a density of 0.20 g/cm3 or more and a hardness of 30 or more, and abrasive grains dispersed in the felt. A polishing method and apparatus involving pressing the polishing means against a surface of a workpiece to be polished, while rotating the workpiece and also rotating the polishing tool.

Abstract: In a semiconductor wafer processing method of forming a semiconductor wafer having a desired thickness by grinding a rear surface of the semiconductor wafer having a plurality of devices formed on a front surface thereof, the rear surface of the semiconductor wafer is ground so that the semiconductor wafer has a thickness of 10 ?m to 100 ?m, and a strain layer having a thickness of 0.05 ?m to 0.1 ?m is left on the rear surface of the semiconductor wafer by the grinding. The strain layer is left to provide the gettering effect, preventing a harmful influence exerted on the quality of the semiconductor devices. Degradation in transverse rupture strength can be prevented by the grinding.