A wafer producing method for producing a hexagonal single crystal wafer from a hexagonal single crystal ingot is disclosed. The wafer producing method includes a separation start point forming step of forming a modified layer parallel to the upper surface of the ingot and cracks extending from the modified layer to thereby form a separation start point in the ingot. The separation start point forming step includes a first separation start point forming step of setting the focal point of a laser beam at a first depth which is N times (N is an integer not less than 2) the depth corresponding to the thickness of the wafer from the upper surface of the ingot and next applying the laser beam to the ingot to thereby form a first separation start point composed of a first modified layer and first cracks extending therefrom.

In a semiconductor chip manufacturing device which produces a plurality of LD chips by dividing a semiconductor wafer, being placed in a casing in which a fluid medium is filled, on which a block line is formed in advance and also on which a scribed line is inscribed so that a microcrack is formed along the scribed line, the semiconductor chip manufacturing device comprises a reception stage for supporting the semiconductor wafer, and a blade cutting-edge for pressurizing the semiconductor wafer along its crack portion made of the block line or the scribed line, so that the semiconductor wafer is divided into a plurality of LD chips by pressurizing it by means of the blade cutting-edge along the crack portion in the fluid medium.

A low voltage laser device having an active region configured for one or more selected wavelengths of light emissions.

Implementations of methods of thinning a semiconductor substrate may include: providing a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface, the semiconductor substrate having a thickness between the first surface and the second surface. The method may further include inducing damage into a portion of the semiconductor substrate at a first depth into the thickness forming a first damage layer, inducing damage into a portion of the semiconductor substrate at a second depth into the thickness forming a second damage layer, and applying ultrasonic energy to the semiconductor substrate. The method may include separating the semiconductor substrate into three separate thinned portions across the thickness along the first damage layer and along the second damage layer.

A peeling apparatus includes: an ingot holding unit holding an ingot with an ingot portion corresponding to a wafer being faced up; an ultrasonic wave oscillating unit which has an end face facing the ingot portion corresponding to the wafer and oscillates an ultrasonic wave; a water supplying unit supplying water to an area between the ingot portion corresponding to the wafer and the end face of the ultrasonic wave oscillating unit; and a peeling unit that holds the ingot portion corresponding to the wafer with suction and peels off the wafer from the ingot.

A wafer producing apparatus detects a facet area from an upper surface of an SiC ingot, sets X and Y coordinates of plural points lying on a boundary between the facet area and a nonfacet area in an XY plane, and sets a focal point of a laser beam having a transmission wavelength to SiC inside the SiC ingot at a predetermined depth from the upper surface of the SiC ingot. The predetermined depth corresponds to the thickness of the SiC wafer to be produced. A control unit increases the energy of the laser beam and raises a position of the focal point in applying the laser beam to the facet area as compared with the energy of the laser beam and a position of the focal point in applying the laser beam to the nonfacet area, according to the X and Y coordinates.

A wafer processing method includes applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through a wafer to the wafer from a back surface of the wafer, with a focal point of the laser beam positioned at a predetermined point inside the wafer, to form division start points along streets, the division start point including a modified layer and a crack extending from the modified layer to a front surface of the wafer; and grinding the back surface of the wafer by a grinding wheel having a plurality of grindstones in an annular pattern, to thin the wafer and divide the wafer into individual device chips. In forming the division start points, a chuck table is heated to a predetermined temperature, whereby the cracks formed inside the wafer to extend from the modified layers to the front surface of the wafer are grown.

A wafer is processed by irradiating a region to be divided with a pulse laser beam with a wavelength having absorbability to generate a thermal stress wave and propagate the wave to the inside of the region to be divided. A crushed layer is formed by executing irradiation, with a pulse laser beam with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to the wafer, matching with a time when the thermal stress wave is generated and reaching a depth position at which a point of origin of dividing is to be generated at a sonic speed according to the material of the wafer. Absorption of the pulse laser beam with the wavelength having the transmissibility in a region in which the band gap is narrowed due to a tensile stress of the thermal stress wave forms a crushed layer that serves as the point of origin of dividing.

Silicon carbide (SiC) wafers and related methods are disclosed that include intentional or imposed wafer shapes that are configured to reduce manufacturing problems associated with deformation, bowing, or sagging of such wafers due to gravitational forces or from preexisting crystal stress. Intentional or imposed wafer shapes may comprise SiC wafers with a relaxed positive bow from silicon faces thereof. In this manner, effects associated with deformation, bowing, or sagging for SiC wafers, and in particular for large area SiC wafers, may be reduced. Related methods for providing SiC wafers with relaxed positive bow are disclosed that provide reduced kerf losses of bulk crystalline material. Such methods may include laser-assisted separation of SiC wafers from bulk crystalline material.

In a method for manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light-emitting element by splitting a semiconductor layer stacked substrate including a semiconductor layer stacked body with a plurality of waveguides extending along the Y-axis to fabricate a bar-shaped substrate, and splitting the bar-shaped substrate along a lengthwise split line to fabricate an individual element, the waveguide in the individual element has different widths at one end portion and the other end portion and the center line of the waveguide is located off the center of the individual element along the X-axis, and in the semiconductor layer stacked substrate including a first element forming region and a second element forming region which are adjacent to each other along the X-axis, two lengthwise split lines sandwiching the first element forming region and two lengthwise split lines sandwiching the second element forming region are misaligned along the X-axis.