A wafer de-bonding device comprises a stage (1) for holding a device wafer and a carrier wafer bonded together, and a tool (2) with a gas outlet (2.2) disposed in proximity to the stage (1) through an adjustment device for control the tool (2) to move towards or away from the stage (1), the tool (2) being provided with a bit (2.1) to cut a notch into a film or an adhesive layer at a junction of the bonded wafers, the gas outlet (2.2) being provided on the tool bit (2.1), the tool (2) being further provided with a gas inlet (2.3) in communication with the gas outlet (2.2), the gas inlet (2.3) being connected to a gas jet generator so as to direct a gas jet towards the junction of the bonded wafers on the stage (2). The wafer de-bonding device has a high degree of automation and simple operations.

A peeling device for peeling off a substrate to be processed and a support substrate from an overlapped substrate, the overlapped substrate being formed by bonding the substrate to be processed and the support substrate by an adhesive, which includes: a first holding unit configured to heat the substrate to be processed and configured to hold the substrate to be processed; a second holding unit configured to heat the support substrate and configured to hold the support substrate; a moving mechanism configured to horizontally move at least one of the first holding unit and the second holding unit relative to each other; and an inert gas supply mechanism configured to supply an inert gas onto a bonding surface of the substrate to be processed or a bonding surface of the support substrate.

There is provided a peeling method capable of preventing a damage to a layer to be peeled. Thus, not only a layer to be peeled having a small area but also a layer to be peeled having a large area can be peeled over the entire surface at a high yield. Processing for partially reducing contact property between a first material layer (11) and a second material layer (12) (laser light irradiation, pressure application, or the like) is performed before peeling, and then peeling is conducted by physical means. Therefore, sufficient separation can be easily conducted in an inner portion of the second material layer (12) or an interface thereof.

There is provided a peeling method capable of preventing a damage to a layer to be peeled. Thus, not only a layer to be peeled having a small area but also a layer to be peeled having a large area can be peeled over the entire surface at a high yield. Processing for partially reducing contact property between a first material layer (11) and a second material layer (12) (laser light irradiation, pressure application, or the like) is performed before peeling, and then peeling is conducted by physical means. Therefore, sufficient separation can be easily conducted in an inner portion of the second material layer (12) or an interface thereof.

An embodiment method for separating semiconductor devices from a wafer comprises using a carrier which acts an adjustable adhesive force upon the semiconductor devices and removing the semiconductor devices from the carrier by applying a mechanical or acoustical impulse to the carrier.

An automatic film peeling machine for peeling a film adhered on a board, includes a workbench, a frame mounted on the workbench including a movable pushing block, a supporting plate mounted on the frame, a suction plate for locating the board on the supporting plate, and a peeling module. The peeling module includes a sliding member, a resisting member and a movable clamping member mounted on the sliding member. The clamping member includes a clamping portion with a plurality of vents. Air is blown out from the vents for rotating a movable un-adhered portion of the film into a space between the clamping portion and the resisting member. The clamping member is moved toward the resisting member for clamping the movable un-adhered portion. The pushing block is moved to push the sliding member away from the frame, for peeling the first film from the board.

The present invention provides a procedure of processing a workpiece such as backside grinding of a device wafer and an apparatus designed for the procedure. The procedure comprises (1) preparing a bonded stack comprising (e.g. consisting of) a carrier layer, a workpiece layer, and an interposer layer therebetween; (2) processing the workpiece layer; and (3) delivering a gas jet at the junction between two adjacent layers in the stack to separate or debond the two adjacent layers. Technical merits of the invention include enhanced efficiency, higher wafer throughput, reduced stress on workpiece surface, and uniformly distributed stress and avoidance of device wafer breakage and internal device damage, among others.

It would be helpful to provide a wafer separation apparatus and method, and a method for manufacturing a silicon wafer in which poor wafer separation can be easily prevented. A wafer separation apparatus 1 includes an injection port 2 configured to inject a fluid, a rolling element 3, and a holder 4 configured to movably hold the rolling element 3 in a rollable and integral manner, to be reciprocatable and biased to one side in a reciprocating direction, and to be integrally connected to the injection port 2.