A chuck table correction method includes the step of: positioning a lower end of a cutting blade, relative to a chuck table, at a predetermined height for cutting into a holding surface; and relatively moving the chuck table and a cutting unit in a processing feeding direction, to cut the holding surface side of the chuck table, thereby forming the chuck table with a corrected surface that functions as a new holding surface.

A wafer producing apparatus includes an ingot grinding unit that grinds the upper surface of an ingot to planarize the upper surface, a laser irradiation unit that positions the focal point of a laser beam with such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the ingot to a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be produced from the upper surface of the ingot and irradiates the ingot with the laser beam to form a separation layer, a wafer separating unit that separates the wafer from the ingot, and a tray having a support part that supports the separated wafer.

A dividing apparatus divides a workpiece along projected dicing lines into chips, the workpiece being stuck to an upper surface of a protective tape mounted on an annular frame. The dividing apparatus includes a frame holding unit for holding the annular frame and a dividing unit for pressing the workpiece in the vicinity of one at a time of the projected dicing lines and dividing the workpiece into chips along the projected dicing line. The dividing unit includes a holder for holding a portion of the workpiece in the vicinity of the projected dicing line where the workpiece is to be broken, from both upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece, and a presser for pressing chips next to chips held by the holder across the projected dicing line where the workpiece is to be broken, thereby to divide the workpiece along the projected dicing line.

A cutting apparatus is provided. The cutting apparatus includes a processing chamber, a chuck table, a transferring mechanism, and a cleaning member. The chuck table is disposed in the processing chamber and configured to hold a workpiece on a chuck surface of the chuck table during a cutting process. The transferring mechanism is configured to transfer the workpiece to the chuck surface before the cutting process or transfer the workpiece away from the chuck surface after the cutting process. The cleaning member is disposed in the processing chamber, and is configured to move across and clean the chuck surface, driven by the transferring mechanism.

A cutting blade mounting method of sandwiching both side surfaces of an annular cutting blade by a first flange and a second flange, the first flange being mounted on an end of a spindle and having a suction hole sucking and holding a side surface of the cutting blade to a sandwiching surface of the first flange, includes: a cutting blade provisional holding step of sucking and holding the cutting blade to the first flange by making the cutting blade abut against the sandwiching surface of the first flange at a perfect circle position at which a center of the cutting blade coincides with an axis of the spindle, and making a suction force act on the suction hole; and a fixing step of fixing the cutting blade maintaining the perfect circle position in the cutting blade provisional holding step to the first flange by the second flange.

In one instance, a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit includes a method for dicing a semiconductor wafer that includes disposing the semiconductor wafer on a moveable cutting table, cutting the semiconductor wafer, and ejecting a clearing fluid across an exposed side of the semiconductor wafer, with full coverage across the semiconductor wafer, at least during the cutting of the semiconductor wafer. The ejecting clearing fluid is ejected to form a layer or membrane of fluid that clears or reduces other fluids from the exposed side or surface of the semiconductor wafer. Other aspects are presented.

A cutting apparatus is provided. The cutting apparatus includes a processing chamber, a chuck table, a transferring mechanism, and a cleaning member. The chuck table is disposed in the processing chamber and configured to hold a workpiece on a chuck surface of the chuck table. The transferring mechanism is configured to transfer the workpiece to the chuck surface or transfer the workpiece away from the chuck surface. The cleaning member, which is disposed in the processing chamber, is configured to move across and clean the chuck surface before the workpiece is transferred to the chuck table and/or after the workpiece is transferred away from the chuck table.

A cutting blade mounting method of sandwiching both side surfaces of an annular cutting blade by a first flange and a second flange, the first flange being mounted on an end of a spindle and having a suction hole sucking and holding a side surface of the cutting blade to a sandwiching surface of the first flange, includes: a cutting blade provisional holding step of sucking and holding the cutting blade to the first flange by making the cutting blade abut against the sandwiching surface of the first flange at a perfect circle position at which a center of the cutting blade coincides with an axis of the spindle, and making a suction force act on the suction hole; and a fixing step of fixing the cutting blade maintaining the perfect circle position in the cutting blade provisional holding step to the first flange by the second flange.

A wafer dividing apparatus for dividing a wafer stuck to an adhesive tape and supported at an opening of a frame into individual chips along a scheduled division line is provided. The wafer dividing apparatus includes a cassette table movable upwardly and downwardly in a Z axis direction, a first carry-out/in unit that carries out the frame from the cassette placed on the cassette table or carry in the frame to the cassette, a first temporary receiving unit including a pair of first guide rails extending in the X axis direction and a guide rail opening/closing portion that increases the distance between the pair of first guide rails, a reversing unit including a holding portion that holds the frame and rotates by 180 degrees to reverse the front and back of the frame, and a transport unit that moves the reversed frame.

A workpiece processing method is provided for processing a workpiece including a device region, a peripheral surplus region surrounding the device region, and key patterns being arranged on a top surface side in the peripheral surplus region so as to correspond to a plurality of planned dividing lines, the method including: a resin sheet sticking step of sticking a resin sheet to the top surface side of the workpiece, and transferring the key patterns onto the resin sheet; a peripheral surplus region removing step of dividing the peripheral surplus region from the workpiece, and peeling off the peripheral surplus region from the resin sheet; and a device region processing step of identifying a position of at least one planned dividing line by using, as marks, traces of the key patterns exposed in the peripheral surplus region removing step, and processing the device region along the plurality of planned dividing lines.