A dividing apparatus is provided with a second camera that forms a second image to be used for determining whether or not a wafer is divided at a first projected dicing line. That is, in the dividing apparatus, whether or not the wafer is divided at the first projected dicing line can be checked in reference to the second image. Hence, in the dividing apparatus, even in a case where part of the wafer remains at the first projected dicing line and the wafer is not divided, a dividing unit can be operated again to divide the wafer at the first projected dicing line. Consequently, in the dividing apparatus, the wafer can reliably be divided at the first projected dicing line.

A peel-off layer is finally formed in an area, i.e., a first inner area or a second inner area, in a workpiece that is closer to the center of the workpiece among a plurality of areas. The workpiece has a cylindrical shape, so that the second inner area is wider than the other areas, e.g., the second outer area, in which the peel-off layers are formed. Consequently, when the peel-off layer is finally formed in the second inner area, the internal stresses in the workpiece are dispersed in a wider range than when the peel-off layer is finally formed in the second outer area. Thus, large cracks thicknesswise of the workpiece are prevented from being developed from modified regions contained in the peel-off layer. Therefore, the amount of workpiece material to be disposed of in subsequent steps is reduced, resulting in increased manufacturing productivity.

A peeling apparatus includes a holding table that holds an ingot, a water supply unit that forms a layer of water on an upper surface of the ingot, an ultrasonic unit that applies an ultrasonic wave to the upper surface of the ingot through the layer of water, a peeling confirmation unit that confirms peeling-off of a wafer to be manufactured, a wafer delivery unit that lowers a suction pad having a suction surface facing the upper surface of the ingot, to hold the wafer to be manufactured on the suction surface under suction, and delivers the wafer from the ingot, and a controller. After the peeling-off of the wafer is confirmed by the peeling confirmation unit, the controller positions the water supply unit, the ultrasonic unit, and the peeling confirmation unit at retracted positions and operates the wafer delivery unit to deliver the wafer from the ingot.

A wafer processing method is disclosed to divide a wafer of glass substrate into individual chips along division lines. In the shield tunnel forming step, a pulsed laser beam of a wavelength, which transmits through the wafer, is irradiated with its focal point positioned at a region corresponding to each division line so that a plurality of shield tunnels which are each formed of perforations and affected regions surrounding the perforations are formed along the division lines, respectively. In the modified layer forming step, another pulsed laser beam of a wavelength, which transmits through the wafer, is irradiated with its focal point positioned at the region corresponding to each division line so that modified layers are formed in addition to the shield tunnels along the division lines, respectively. In the dividing step, an external force is applied to the wafer to divide the wafer into individual chips.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for separating a solar cell into two or more solar cell pieces. The apparatus includes a moveable arrangement, a separation device attached to the moveable arrangement, and a holding device attached to the moveable arrangement via one or more elastic elements.

A wafer forming method includes a modified layer forming step of applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through an ingot to the ingot with a focal point of the laser beam positioned inside from a side surface at a position corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be formed, to form a modified layer over the whole circumference of the side surface, a peeling-off layer forming step of exerting an external force from an upper surface of the ingot and concentrating a stress on a crack extending from the modified layer to the inside, to cause the crack to develop from the side surface side toward the inside and form a peeling-off layer, and a wafer forming step of peeling off a wafer to be formed, from the ingot, with the peeling-off layer as a start point, to form the wafer.

An apparatus and method for cleaving a liquid sample are disclosed. The apparatus includes a load lock chamber containing a cleaving module, a cryo-cooler, a vacuum chamber configured to receive the cleaving module from the load lock chamber, and a gate valve between the load lock chamber and the vacuum chamber. The cleaving module is configured to cleave a crystalline sample holder and the liquid sample. The liquid sample includes one or more liquid phase materials and is cleavable by the cleaving module when in the solid phase. The cryo-cooler is configured to cool and/or maintain a temperature of the sample holder and the sample below the melting point of each of the liquid phase materials. The gate valve has at least one opening therein configured to (i) allow the cleaving module to enter and exit the vacuum chamber and/or (ii) permit gaseous communication between the load lock chamber and the vacuum chamber.

A wafer producing method for producing a wafer from a semiconductor ingot includes a thermal stress wave generating step of applying a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength that is absorbable by the semiconductor ingot to the semiconductor ingot held on the chuck table to generate a thermal stress wave and a fracture layer forming step of applying a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength that is transmittable through the semiconductor ingot to the semiconductor ingot in synchronism with a time during which the thermal stress wave reaches a position corresponding to a thickness of a wafer to be produced from the semiconductor ingot, causing the pulsed laser beam whose wavelength is transmittable through the semiconductor ingot to be absorbed in a region where a band gap is reduced by a tensile stress of the thermal stress wave.

A method is provided, comprising creating at least one crack at a point on an edge of a stack of at least a substrate and a superstrate; propagating the crack along the periphery; and moving the superstrate relative to the substrate to complete separation of the superstrate from the substrate.

A method for manufacturing an ingot block in which an ingot of a silicon single crystal pulled up by a Czochralski process is cut and subjected to outer periphery grinding to manufacture an ingot block of the silicon single crystal, the method including: a step of measuring a radial center position of the ingot at one or more locations along a longitudinal direction of the ingot, a step of setting a reference position at which an offset amount of the measured radial center position of the ingot is equal to or less than a predetermined eccentricity amount, a step of cutting the ingot into the ingot blocks based on the set reference position, and a step of performing outer periphery grinding on each of the cut ingot blocks.