In one embodiment, semiconductor die are singulated from a semiconductor wafer having a layer of material by placing the semiconductor wafer onto a carrier tape with the layer of material adjacent the carrier tape, forming singulation lines through the semiconductor wafer to expose the layer of material within the singulation lines, and separating portions of the layer of material using a fluid.

Halogen lamps irradiate a semiconductor wafer held by a susceptor with light from below to preheat the semiconductor wafer, and thereafter flash lamps irradiate the semiconductor wafer with flashes of light from above. A sandblasting process is performed on processing regions of a lower surface of a holding plate of the susceptor which are located between adjacent ones of a plurality of substrate support pins provided upright on the holding plate to roughen the processing regions. The processing regions are opposed to hot spots appearing when the semiconductor wafer held by the susceptor is irradiated with light. The amount of light directed toward the hot spots when the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with light from the halogen lamps is decreased by the roughened processing regions. This decreases the temperature of the hot spots to improve the uniformity of an in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer.

Halogen lamps irradiate a semiconductor wafer held by a susceptor with light to preheat the semiconductor wafer, and thereafter flash lamps irradiate the semiconductor wafer with flashes of light. Processing regions and non-processing regions are provided in a mixed manner in a region of a holding plate of the susceptor which is opposed to a high-temperature region of the semiconductor wafer in a temperature distribution occurring in the semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with light. The processing regions and the non-processing regions have annular shapes arranged alternatingly in a concentric pattern. The processing regions are roughened by a sandblasting process, and the non-processing regions are not processed. This decreases the transmittance of the processing regions to decrease the amount of light impinging on the high-temperature region of the semiconductor wafer, thereby improving the uniformity of an in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer.