A laser beam applying unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a beam splitter disposed on a first optical path connecting a laser oscillator and a condenser, a wide band light source disposed on a second optical path branched by the beam splitter, a spectroscope that is disposed between the wide band light source and the beam splitter and that branches the laser beam from the second optical path to a third optical path, and a Z position detection unit that is disposed on the third optical path branched by the spectroscope and that detects the position in a Z-axis direction of a workpiece according to an intensity of light corresponding to the wavelength of return light that is generated when the light of the wide band light source is condensed by the condenser and is reflected by the workpiece held by a chuck table.

A heater includes an aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate and a heating layer. The heating layer is made from a molybdenum material and is bonded to the AlN substrate via transient liquid phase bonding. The heater can also include a routing layer and a plurality of first conductive vias connecting the heating layer to the routing layer. The routing layer and the plurality of first conductive vias can be made from the molybdenum material and at least one of the routing layer and the plurality of first conductive vias are bonded to the AlN substrate via a transient liquid phase bond. A plurality of second conductive vias connecting the routing layer to a surface of the AlN substrate can be included and the plurality of second conductive vias are made of the molybdenum material and can be bonded to the AlN substrate via a transient liquid phase bond.

A laser reflow apparatus reflows solder bumps disposed on a side of a semiconductor chip in a workpiece and included in an irradiation range on the workpiece by applying a laser beam to an opposite side of the semiconductor chip. The laser reflow apparatus includes a spatial beam modulation unit including a laser power density setting function to locally set the laser power density in the irradiation range of a laser beam emitted from a laser beam source, and an image focusing unit including an image focusing function to focus the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source and apply the focused laser beam to the irradiation range on the workpiece.

The present invention provides a highly reliable solder joint, the solder joint including a solder joint layer having a melted solder material containing Sn as a main component and further containing Ag and/or Sb and/or Cu; and a joined body including a NiPCu plating layer on a surface in contact with the solder joint layer, wherein the NiPCu plating layer contains Ni as a main component and contains 0.5% by mass or greater and 8% by mass or less of Cu and 3% by mass or greater and 10% by mass or less of P, the NiPCu plating layer has a microcrystalline layer at an interface with the solder joint layer, and the microcrystalline layer includes a phase containing microcrystals of a NiCuP ternary alloy, a phase containing microcrystals of (Ni,Cu).sub.3P, and a phase containing microcrystals of Ni.sub.3P.

Methods of reflowing electrically conductive elements on a wafer may involve directing a laser beam toward a region of a surface of a wafer supported on a film of a film frame to reflow at least one electrically conductive element on the surface of the wafer. In some embodiments, the wafer may be detached from a carrier substrate and be secured to the film frame before laser reflow. Apparatus for performing the methods, and methods of repairing previously reflowed conductive elements on a wafer are also disclosed.

A detection mechanism of a detection device includes a pulsed laser oscillator that emits a pulsed laser beam; an f? lens facing a workpiece held by a chuck table; a thermal excitation section that applies the pulsed laser beam emitted from the pulsed laser oscillator to an upper surface of a wafer through the f? lens and generates an ultrasonic wave propagated in a spherical form by thermal excitation; and an image forming section that forms an image by capturing a reflected laser beam influenced by vibration of the ultrasonic wave generated by the thermal excitation section, propagated through the inside of the workpiece, reflected by a lower surface of the workpiece, and returned to the upper surface of the workpiece, by an aperture synthesis method.

A laser processing apparatus (1) according to an embodiment includes a processing chamber (18) configured to perform laser processing for an object to be processed (40), a stage (10) disposed inside the processing chamber (18), the stage being configured to convey the object to be processed (40), and a control unit (50) configured to instruct a loading/unloading apparatus (30) about a placement position of the object to be processed (40) over the stage (10), the loading/unloading apparatus (30) being configured to load/unload the object to be processed (40) into/from the processing chamber (18). Further, the processing chamber (18) includes a loading gate (17a) for loading and an unloading gate (17b) for unloading for the object to be processed (40), and the object to be processed (40) is conveyed only in a first direction from the loading gate (17a) toward the unloading gate (17b) over the stage (10).

Any metal having a low ?-ray emission, the metal being any one of tin, silver, copper, zinc, or indium, wherein an emission of an ?-ray after heating the metal at 100? C. in an atmosphere for six hours is 0.002 cph/cm.sup.2 or less. Any metal of tin, silver, copper, zinc and indium each including lead as an impurity is dissolved to prepare a hydrosulfate aqueous solution of the metal and lead sulfate is precipitated and removed in the solution. The lead sulfate is precipitated in the hydrosulfate aqueous solution by adding a lead nitrate aqueous solution including lead having an ?-ray emission of 10 cph/cm.sup.2 or less to the hydrosulfate aqueous solution, from which the lead sulfate has been removed, and, at the same time, the solution is circulated while removing the lead sulfate to electrowinning the metal using the hydrosulfate aqueous solution as an electrolytic solution.

An object cutting method includes: a first step of preparing an object to be processed including a single crystal silicon substrate and a functional device layer provided on a first main surface side; a second step of irradiating the object with laser light to form at least one row of modified regions in the single crystal silicon substrate and to form a fracture in the object so as to extend between the at least one row of modified regions and a second main surface of the object; a third step of forming an etching protection layer having a gas passing region formed, on the second main surface; and a fourth step of performing dry etching on the object from the second main surface side, in a state in which the etching protection layer is formed on the second main surface, to form a groove opening to the second main surface.

A device includes a first laser emitter, a second laser emitter, and a separating portion. The first laser emitter is configured to emit, in an outer circumferential portion of a bonded substrate including a first substrate and a second substrate bonded to each other, a first laser beam into the first substrate from a side of the first substrate to form a modified layer. The second laser emitter is configured to emit a second laser beam to a material layer that is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate and is provided on the second substrate from a side of the second substrate, to cause peeling between the second substrate and the material layer. The separating portion is configured to separate an outer circumferential portion of the first substrate and an outer circumferential portion of the material layer from the outer circumferential portion of the bonded substrate.