The present disclosure provides a method and system for manufacturing solar cells and shingled solar cell modules. The method as provided by the present disclosure includes performing scribing and dividing of the solar cells, sorting the obtained solar cell strips, and packaging the cell strips in the solar cell manufacturing process. The solar cell strips can be assembled directly after dismantling the package in the solar module manufacturing process. Therefore, the method can accomplish a smooth flow of manufacturing solar cells and shingled solar cell modules, reduce repeated processing steps, lower the risk of cracking and costs thereof, and optimize the current matching and the color consistency of the cell strips in the shingled solar cell modules.

An object of the present invention is to improve a substrate processing apparatus using the CARE method. The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus for polishing a processing target region of a substrate by bringing the substrate and a catalyst into contact with each other in the presence of processing liquid. The substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate, a catalyst holding unit configured to hold the catalyst, and a driving unit configured to move the substrate holding unit and the catalyst holding unit relative to each other with the processing target region of the substrate and the catalyst kept in contact with each other. The catalyst is smaller than the substrate.

The film production method includes: forming an ink layer on the base substrate covering the surface of the base substrate, the ink layer including a solvent and a film-forming material dissolved in the solvent; blowing gas to the ink layer so that the solvent in the ink layer spreads towards the periphery of the base substrate; removing the solvent in the ink layer so that the film-forming material in the ink layer forms a film covering the surface of the base substrate.

A method for processing a plate-shaped workpiece having a division line and a metal member formed on the division line or in an area corresponding to the division line includes a holding step of holding the workpiece on a chuck table with the metal member oriented downward, a first cutting step of cutting the workpiece along the division line by using a first cutting blade, thereby forming a first cut groove having a bottom not reaching the metal member, and a second cutting step of cutting the workpiece along the first cut groove by using a second cutting blade, thereby forming a second cut groove fully cutting the workpiece along the division line so as to divide the metal member. The second cutting step includes supplying a cutting fluid containing an organic acid and an oxidizing agent to the workpiece.

Some embodiments relate to a processing tool for processing a singulated semiconductor die. The tool includes an evaluation unit, a drying unit, and a die wipe station. The evaluation unit is configured to subject the singulated semiconductor die to a liquid to detect flaws in the singulated semiconductor die. The drying unit is configured to dry the liquid from a frontside of the singulated semiconductor die. The die wipe station includes an absorptive drying structure configured to absorb the liquid from a backside of the singulated semiconductor die after the drying unit has dried the liquid from the frontside of the singulated semiconductor die.

Methods of dicing semiconductor wafers are described. In an example, a method of dicing a wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits thereon involves dicing the wafer into a plurality of singulated dies disposed above a dicing tape. The method also involves forming a material layer over and between the plurality of singulated dies above the dicing tape. The method also includes expanding the dicing tape, wherein a plurality of particles is collected on the material layer during the expanding.

A cutting apparatus includes a cutting unit configured to cut a workpiece held on a chuck table, and a groove detecting unit including a CCD imaging element photographing the workpiece held on the chuck table. The groove detecting unit photographs, by the CCD imaging element, a laser-processed groove and a cut groove illuminated by an oblique illumination set such that a light amount of light in a direction parallel with an extending direction of the laser-processed groove as viewed in plan is higher than a light amount of light in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the laser-processed groove.

A polishing apparatus capable of accurately measuring a film thickness by regulating a quantity of light illuminating a wafer is disclosed. The polishing apparatus includes: a light source; an illuminating fiber having distal ends arranged at different locations in the polishing table; and a light-receiving fiber having distal ends arranged at the different locations in the polishing table. The illuminating fiber includes a first illuminating fiber and a second illuminating fiber. A first dimmer is attached to the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber, and a second dimmer is attached to at least one of the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber.

Embodiments include a method for processing thin substrates. Embodiments may include electrostatically bonding a substrate to a first electrostatic carrier (ESC), with a backside of the substrate is facing away from the first ESC. Thereafter, the substrate may be thinned to form a thinned substrate. The thinned substrate may then be transferred to a second ESC with a front side of the thinned substrate facing away from the second ESC. Embodiments may include cleaning the front side surface of the thinned substrate and transferring the thinned substrate to a third ESC. In an embodiment, a backside of the thinned substrate is facing away from the third ESC. Embodiments may also include processing the backside surface of the thinned substrate, and transferring the thinned substrate to a tape frame.

A laminate processing method includes a modified layer removing step of positioning a cutting blade to the region of the wafer corresponding to each of the division lines and cutting while supplying cutting water into which a water-soluble resin is mixed from the wafer side of the laminate, thereby removing the modified layer formed inside the wafer, a dividing step of, after the modified layer removing step is carried out, expanding the expandable tape, and dividing the laminate into individual image sensor chips, and a cleaning step of supplying cleaning water from the back surface of the wafer with a state in which the expandable tape is expanded being maintained, thereby cleaning the laminate.