A cutting method includes: forming a reformed region in a workpiece; and after forming the reformed region in the workpiece, cutting the workpiece along an intended cut line. In the cutting the workpiece, a dry etching process is performed from a front surface toward a rear surface of the workpiece while the workpiece is fixed on a support member at least under its own weight or by suction, to form a groove from the front surface to reach the rear surface of the workpiece.

A method for soldering a die obtained using the semiconductor technique with a leadframe, comprising the steps of providing a leadframe, which has at least one surface made at least partially of copper; providing a die, which has at least one surface coated with a metal layer; applying to the surface a solder alloy comprising at least 40 wt % of tin or at least 50% of indium or at least 50% of gallium, without lead, and heating the alloy to a temperature of at least 380° C. to form a drop of solder alloy; providing a die, which has at least one surface coated with a metal layer; and setting the metal layer in contact with the drop of solder alloy to form the soldered connection with the leadframe. Moreover, a device obtained with said method is provided.

A bonded body according to an embodiment includes a ceramic substrate, a copper plate, and a bonding layer that is located on at least one surface of the ceramic substrate and bonds the ceramic substrate and the copper plate. The bonding layer includes titanium. The bonding layer includes first and second regions; the first region includes a layer including titanium as a major component; the layer is formed at an interface of the bonding layer with the ceramic substrate; and the second region is positioned between the first region and the copper plate. The bonded body has a ratio M1/M2 of a titanium concentration M1 at % in the first region and a titanium concentration M2 at % in the second region that is not less than 0.1 and not more than 5 when the Ti concentrations are measured by EDX respectively in measurement regions in the first and second regions.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a chuck table including a mounting table having a mounting surface on which a substrate is mounted, wherein the mounting surface is a curved surface; and a laser supply head configured to irradiate the substrate attached to the mounting table with a laser beam.

A laminated wafer grinding method includes applying a laser beam having such a wavelength as to be transmitted through a first wafer to the first wafer along a first annular street set on the inner side of a peripheral edge of the first wafer to form a first annular modified layer, and applying the laser beam to the first wafer along at least one second street set in an annular region extending from the first street to the peripheral edge of the first wafer to form a second modified layer that partitions the annular region into two or more parts, causing a cutting blade to cut into the annular region to a predetermined depth of the first wafer to cut the annular region, and grinding a second surface side of the first wafer to thin the first wafer to a finished thickness and removing the annular region.

A method of processing a wafer to divide the wafer into individual device chips, includes a second modified layer forming step of applying a laser beam to the wafer while positioning a focused spot of the laser beam inside the wafer along the projected dicing lines extending in a second direction intersecting with a first direction, thereby forming second modified layers in the wafer along the projected dicing lines extending in the second direction. In the second modified layer forming step, when the focused spot of the laser beam along the projected dicing lines extending in the second direction reaches first modified layers, the focused spot of the laser beam is shifted along the first modified layers to thereby undulate the laser beam in a staggered pattern to prevent the second modified layers from being formed straight in the wafer along the projected dicing lines extending in the second direction.

A layer structure includes a first layer including at least one material selected from a first group consisting of nickel, copper, gold, silver, palladium, tin, zinc, platinum, and an alloy of any of these materials; a third layer including at least one material selected from a second group consisting of nickel, copper, gold, palladium, tin, silver, zinc, platinum, and an alloy of any of these materials; and a second layer between the first layer and the third layer. The second layer consists of or essentially consists of nickel and tin. The second layer includes an intermetallic phase of nickel and tin.

A wire bonding apparatus (100) includes a bonding stage (12), a bonding head (20), an XY driving mechanism (30), and a frame (50). The XY driving mechanism (30) includes: an X-direction guide (31) installed to the frame (50); an X-direction slider (32), supported by the X-direction guide (31) and moving in the X direction, an X-direction mover (41) being installed thereto; a Y-direction guide (33) installed to a lower side of the X-direction slider (32); and a Y-direction slider (34), supported by the Y-direction guide (33) and moving in the Y direction, the bonding head (20) being installed thereto. The XY driving mechanism (30) is installed to the frame (50), so that a portion of the Y-direction guide (33) is overlapped with a mounting surface (12a) of a bonding stage (12) above the mounting surface (12a) and behind the mounting stage (12) in the Y direction.

In one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a reformed layer former configured to partially reform a first substrate to form a reformed layer between first and second portions in the first substrate, a peeling layer former configured to form a peeling layer between the second portion and a second substrate provided on the first substrate, and a remover configured to remove the second portion from the second substrate while causing the first portion to remain on the second substrate. The remover includes a heater to heat the first or second portion, to peel the second portion from the second substrate at the peeling layer and divide the first and second portions from each other, and a mover to move the second substrate relative to the second portion, to remove the second portion from the second substrate while causing the first portion to remain on the second substrate.

Proposed is an epoxy flux film that is to be positioned between a semiconductor substrate and a device and is heated and pressed without addition of an additional flux. Thus, device-substrate soldering and sealing are simultaneously performed, and interference of light reflected from the solder can be reduced.