A wafer processing method includes a division initiating point forming step of forming division initiating points in projected dicing lines, a sheet disposing step of disposing, on a wafer, a sheet having elasticity, before or after the division initiating point forming step, and a splitting-up step of splitting the wafer into individual device chips by expanding the sheet and applying external force to the wafer. The splitting-up step includes an adhesive liquid coating step of coating an exposed surface of the wafer with adhesive liquid having fluidity before or after the sheet is expanded and causing the adhesive liquid to enter dividing grooves formed by the splitting-up of the wafer.

A hybrid die bonding method includes the following steps: dicing a wafer into a plurality of dies arranged on a plurality of target blocks of a carrier film, wherein surfaces of each of the dies have no solder and bump; cleaning particulate from first surfaces of the dies; separating side portions and corner portions of second surfaces of the dies from the target blocks; turning the carrier film and transferring the dies to a first carrier, wherein the first surfaces of the dies contact the first carrier; removing the carrier film from the second surfaces of the dies; cleaning particulate from the second surfaces of the dies; and transferring the dies from the first carrier to a substrate, wherein a surface of the substrate has no solder and bump. As such, the method reduces the adhesive force between the dies and the carrier film.

A wafer cleaning apparatus of the present invention includes a vacuum chuck unit on which a wafer is mounted, and an ultrasonic cleaning module configured to spray a cleaning solution onto the wafer and apply ultrasonic waves to the cleaning solution to ultrasonically vibrate the cleaning solution.

Disclosed is a barrier layer removal device including: a frame mounted with a tape to which a wafer is attached, wherein the wafer includes a barrier layer disposed on one surface, a support on which the wafer, attached to the tape, is disposed, a frame cover disposed above the frame, wherein the frame fixes the wafer on the support by pressing an edge region of the one surface of the wafer and a nozzle for spraying an etchant on the barrier layer of the wafer.

Disclosed are methods of fabricating semiconductor devices and methods of separating substrates. The semiconductor device fabricating method comprises providing a release layer between a carrier substrate and a first surface of a device substrate to attach the device substrate to the carrier substrate, irradiating the carrier substrate with an ultraviolet ray to separate the carrier substrate from the release layer and to expose one surface of the release layer, and performing a cleaning process on the one surface of the release layer to expose the first surface of the device substrate. The release layer includes an aromatic polymerization unit and a siloxane polymerization unit.

Implementations of methods of forming a plurality of semiconductor die may include forming a damage layer beneath a surface of a die street in a semiconductor substrate, singulating the semiconductor substrate along the die street into a plurality of semiconductor die, and removing one or more particulates in the die street after singulating through applying sonic energy to the plurality of semiconductor die.

Devices and techniques include process steps for forming openings through stacked and bonded structures. The openings are formed by pre-etching through one or more layers of prepared dies after planarization of the bonding layer (by chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) or the like) and prior to bonding. For instance, the openings are etched through one or more layers of dies to be bonded prior to bonding the dies to form an assembly.

Disclosed is a substrate treating method for performing cleaning treatment to a substrate by contacting a brush against the substrate. The method includes a rotating step of rotating a spin holder, holding the substrate, around a vertical shaft axis, an outer periphery edge contacting step of contacting the brush against the substrate at an outer periphery edge contacting position closer to an outer periphery edge of the substrate than to the shaft axis while the substrate is rotated in a horizontal plane, a first moving step of moving the brush from the outer periphery edge contacting position to a side adjacent to the shaft axis while the brush is brought into contact against the substrate, and a second moving step of moving the brush from the side adjacent to the shaft axis toward the outer periphery edge after the first moving step.

An acoustic foreign matter removal device includes a stage, an acoustic head, and a movement mechanism. The acoustic head has a plurality of ultrasonic speakers and a casing22. A plurality of ultrasonic waves generated from the plurality of ultrasonic speakers are concentrated in a gap between the casing and a holding surface of the stage to form a low pressure region; and foreign matter adhering to a surface of an electronic component is sucked into the low pressure region to remove the foreign matter from the surface.

Devices and techniques include process steps for forming openings through stacked and bonded structures. The openings are formed by pre-etching through one or more layers of prepared dies after planarization of the bonding layer (by chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) or the like) and prior to bonding. For instance, the openings are etched through one or more layers of dies to be bonded prior to bonding the dies to form an assembly.