In a wafer processing method, the back side of a wafer is attached to an adhesive tape supported at its peripheral portion by an annular frame having an inside opening. The wafer is set in the inside opening, thereby supporting the wafer through the adhesive tape to the annular frame. The wafer is held on a chuck table with the front side of the wafer facing the upper surface of the chuck table. A laser beam is applied through the adhesive tape and the back side of the wafer in an area corresponding to each division line, thereby forming a plurality of shield tunnels arranged along each division line. Each shield tunnel extends from the front side of the wafer to the back side thereof, each shield tunnel being composed of a fine hole and an amorphous region formed around the fine hole for shielding the fine hole.

A method includes setting a first tension value of a laminating tape during a standby mode. A second tension value of the laminating tape is set during taping on a wafer. The second tension value is different from the first tension value. A third tension value of the laminating tape is set after taping. The third tension value is different from the second tension value.

A die ejector includes a supporter configured to support a film on which a die is attached in a vertical direction, an elevation device in a hole of the supporter and configured to move the film with the die attached thereon in the vertical direction and in relation to the supporter, a driver configured to move the elevation device in the vertical direction, an air conduit guide in an enclosure region at least partially defined by an inner surface of the elevation device and having an inner surface defining an air flow conduit, a pressure adjuster device configured to induce air flow through the air flow conduit based on inducing a pressure gradient between the air flow conduit and the pressure adjuster device, and a flow guide in the air flow conduit and configured to control a flow of air through at least a portion of the air flow conduit.

An apparatus for separating a wafer from a carrier includes a platform having an upper surface, a tape feeding unit, a first robot arm, and a controller coupled to the platform. The controller is configured to mount a wafer frame, by using the tape feeding unit, on a wafer of a wafer assembly on the upper surface of the platform. The wafer assembly includes the wafer, a carrier, and a layer of wax between the wafer and the carrier. The controller is also configured to heat the upper surface of the platform to a predetermined temperature and separate, by the first robot arm, the wafer and the wafer frame mounted thereon from the carrier.

Wafer taping apparatuses and methods are provided for determining whether taping defects are present on a semiconductor wafer, based on image information acquired by an imaging device. In some embodiments, a method includes applying an adhesive tape on a surface of a semiconductor wafer. An imaging device acquires image information associated with the adhesive tape on the semiconductor wafer. The presence or absence of taping defects is determined by defect recognition circuitry based on the acquired image information.

A protective sheet sticking apparatus includes a cutting unit that cuts a protective sheet stuck to a wafer along an outer circumference of the wafer while bringing a cutting part of a cutting blade into contact with the outer circumference of the wafer. The cutting unit has a cutting blade support part that supports the cutting blade rotatably in such a manner that the direction of a cutting edge of the cutting part is adjustable from the outside in the radial direction of the wafer to the inside. The cutting blade support part includes a first biasing spring that makes biasing to cause the cutting part to be oriented toward the inside and a second biasing spring that makes biasing to cause the cutting part to be oriented toward the outside in order to prevent the cutting part from being oriented toward the inside by a predetermined angle or larger.

An apparatus includes a base including a receiving portion that receives a substrate on which semiconductor elements are disposed; and at least one ultrasonic generator that generates and applies ultrasonic waves to the substrate placed in the base.

There is provided a thin glass elongated body capable of preventing a thin glass from being broken when the thin glass elongated body is subjected to processing or treatment by a roll-to-roll process. A thin glass elongated body of the present invention includes: a main body including an elongated thin glass; and a handling section arranged at each of both ends of the main body in a length direction through intermediation of a connecting portion, the handling section including a tough film, wherein: in the connecting portion, the elongated thin glass and the tough film face each other in the length direction, and a connecting sheet is laminated on both surfaces of each of the elongated thin glass and the tough film; and the elongated thin glass and the tough film are connected to each other through intermediation of the connecting sheet.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a bonding method of a semiconductor chip. The bonding method includes arranging an activated front surface of a semiconductor chip and an activated front surface of a substrate so as to face each other with a back surface of the semiconductor chip attached to a sheet. The bonding method includes pushing the back surface of the semiconductor chip through the sheet to closely attach the activated front surface of the semiconductor chip and the activated front surface of the substrate. The bonding method includes stripping the sheet from the back surface of the semiconductor chip while maintaining a state in which the activated front surface of the semiconductor chip is closely attached to the activated front surface of the substrate.

A substrate processing method includes preparing a stacked substrate including a first substrate divided into multiple chips, a protective film divided for each of the multiple chips to protect the chip, a second substrate supporting the first substrate, and an adhesive film configured to attach the protective film and the second substrate; reducing adhesive strength of the adhesive film with a light beam configured to penetrate the second substrate; and picking-up, from the adhesive film by a pick-up device, the chip and the protective film with the reduced adhesive strength to the adhesive film.