Described are electrostatic chucks that are useful to support a workpiece during a step of processing the workpiece, the electrostatic chuck including embossments that are made of multiple deposited layers, the layers including diamond-like carbon layers and layers that contain silicon-based materials such as silicon carbide layers.

This copper/ceramic bonded body includes: a copper member made of copper or a copper alloy; and a ceramic member made of nitrogen-containing ceramics, the copper member and the ceramic member are bonded to each other, in which, between the copper member and the ceramic member, an active metal nitride layer containing nitrides of one or more active metals selected from Ti, Zr, Nb, and Hf is formed on a ceramic member side, and a Mg solid solution layer in which Mg is solid-dissolved in a Cu matrix is formed between the active metal nitride layer and the copper member, and Cu-containing particles composed of either one or both of Cu particles and compound particles of Cu and the active metal are dispersed in an interior of the active metal nitride layer.

A fiber array unit (FAU) includes a substrate, a plurality of optical fibers, and a lid. The substrate includes: an optical window extending through a layer of non-transparent material, a plurality of grooves, and an alignment protrusion configured to mate with an alignment receiver. The plurality of optical fibers are disposed in the plurality of grooves. The alignment protrusion is configured to align the plurality of optical fibers with an external device when mated with the alignment receiver. The plurality of optical fibers is disposed between the lid and the substrate.

A method of splitting a semiconductor work piece includes: forming a separation zone within the semiconductor work piece, wherein forming the separation zone comprises modifying semiconductor material of the semiconductor work piece at a plurality of targeted positions within the separation zone in at least one physical property which increases thermo-mechanical stress within the separation zone relative to a remainder of the semiconductor work piece, wherein modifying the semiconductor material in one of the targeted positions comprises focusing at least two laser beams to the targeted position; and applying an external force or stress to the semiconductor work piece such that at least one crack propagates along the separation zone and the semiconductor work piece splits into two separate pieces. Additional work piece splitting techniques and techniques for compensating work piece deformation that occurs during the splitting process are also described.

A wafer processing method includes a polyolefin sheet providing step of positioning a wafer in an inside opening of a ring frame and providing a polyolefin sheet on a back side or a front side of the wafer and on a back side of the ring frame, a uniting step of heating the polyolefin sheet as applying a pressure to the polyolefin sheet to thereby unite the wafer and the ring frame through the polyolefin sheet by thermocompression bonding, a dividing step of applying a laser beam to the wafer to form shield tunnels in the wafer, thereby dividing the wafer into individual device chips, and a pickup step of heating the polyolefin sheet, pushing up each device chip through the polyolefin sheet, and picking up each device chip from the polyolefin sheet.

A processing method of a wafer in which a modified layer is formed inside the wafer. In the processing method, irradiation with a first laser beam is executed from a back surface side of the wafer and the modified layer is formed inside the wafer. Then, irradiation with a second laser beam is executed with the focal point thereof positioned to the inside or the front surface of the wafer and reflected light is imaged by an imaging unit. Furthermore, a processing state of the wafer is determined on the basis of a taken image. The second laser beam is shaped in such a manner that a sectional shape thereof in a surface perpendicular to a traveling direction thereof becomes asymmetric across the modified layer.

The present invention relates to a chamfered silicon carbide substrate which is essentially monocrystalline, and to a corresponding method of chamfering a silicon carbide substrate. A silicon carbide substrate according to the invention comprises a main surface (102), wherein an orientation of said main surface (102) is such that a normal vector ({right arrow over (O)}) of the main surface (102) includes a tilt angle with a normal vector ({right arrow over (N)}) of a basal lattice plane (106) of the substrate, and a chamfered peripheral region (110), wherein a surface of the chamfered peripheral region includes a bevel angle with said main surface, wherein said bevel angle is chosen so that, in more than 75% of the peripheral region, normal vectors ({right arrow over (F)}_i) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) differ from the normal vector of the basal lattice plane by less than a difference between the normal vector of the main surface and the normal vector of the basal lattice plane of the substrate.

Systems and methods here may be used for a laser inscriber or engraver of a gemstone using software feedback loops and multiple cameras to auto focus the system and automate the inscription.

The invention relates to a device (2) for welding hard material elements (4) onto teeth (6) of a saw blade (8), comprising a saw blade feed device (12) for moving the saw blade (8) in a feed direction (14), such that a tooth (6a) of the saw blade (8) can be brought into a target position (16) in a working region (10) of the device (2), comprising a first centering device (30) for centering the saw blade (8) transversely to the feed direction (14), comprising a second centering device (32) for centering a respective hard material element (4) transversely to the feed direction (14), comprising a resistance welding device (24) having a welding electrode (26) that can be deployed into and withdrawn from the working region (10), comprising a supply device (28) for supplying and transferring a respective hard material element (4) to the welding electrode (26), and it being possible for the welding electrode (26) to be deployed in such a way that the hard material element (4) can be brought toward the tooth (6a) to abut the tooth (6a). According to the invention, the hard material element (4) can be centered relative to the centered and fixed saw blade (8) by means of the second centering device (32), and the first and second centering device (30) are provided in a common assembly (38), such that the centering of the saw blade (8) by the first centering device (32) predetermines a centering position for the subsequent centering of the hard material element (4) by the second centering device (32).

A method of machining includes removing material from a target region of a ceramic component to form a blind opening in the ceramic component via removing a bulk of the material by a laser machining operation and then removing a remainder of the material by a mechanical machining operation.