A cleaving system and method are described. The system can include a holding apparatus to retain a photovoltaic structure at a center section of a cleaving platform. The system can further include a contact apparatus to make contact with the photovoltaic structure and separate it into a plurality of strips. During operation, the system can activate an actuator to move the contact apparatus against the photovoltaic structure, thereby separating the photovoltaic structure into strips.

A semiconductor package sawing device is provided that includes a semiconductor package sawing unit, an automatic tool providing portion disposed adjacent to the semiconductor package sawing unit, and a semiconductor package alignment portion. The automatic tool providing portion includes a transfer unit for transferring a chuck unit to the semiconductor package sawing unit.

A wafer producing method includes a facet area detecting step of detecting a facet area from an upper surface of an SiC ingot, a coordinates setting step of setting the X and Y coordinates of plural points lying on the boundary between the facet area and a nonfacet area in an XY plane, and a feeding step of setting 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 corresponding to the thickness of the SiC wafer to be produced, next applying the laser beam from a focusing unit in a laser processing apparatus to the SiC ingot, and relatively moving the SiC ingot and the focal point in an X direction parallel to the X axis in the XY plane, thereby forming a belt-shaped separation layer extending in the X direction inside the SiC ingot.

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 method of processing a plate-shaped workpiece that includes layered bodies containing metal which are formed in superposed relation to projected dicing lines, includes the steps of holding the workpiece on a holding table, and thereafter, cutting the workpiece along the projected dicing lines with an annular cutting blade, thereby separating the layered bodies. The cutting blade has a slit which is open at an outer peripheral edge thereof. The step of cutting the workpiece includes the step of cutting the workpiece while supplying a cutting fluid containing an organic acid and an oxidizing agent to the workpiece.

A production method of a wafer includes a wafer production step in which ultrasonic water is ejected against an end face of an ingot with cleavage layers created therein, thereby severing the wafer from a rest of the ingot to produce the wafer.

A treatment apparatus including a chuck table, a table base, a servo motor that rotates the table base, and a determination unit that determines the kind of the chuck table mounted to the table base is provided. The determination unit includes a torque recording section in which a torque outputted by the servo motor when rotating the table base is recorded on the basis of the kind of the chuck table, and a determination section that collates the torque outputted by the servo motor with the torque recording section, to thereby determine the kind of the chuck table.

There is provided a conveyance system that conveys a workpiece to each of plural processing apparatuses, The conveyance system includes a conveyance passage, an automated workpiece conveying vehicle that travels on the conveyance passage, a stock unit, and a control unit. The conveyance passage is set in a space directly above the processing apparatus across the plural processing apparatuses. The stock unit includes a workpiece conveying part that conveys the workpiece between a workpiece stocker that houses the workpiece supplied to the processing apparatus and the automated workpiece conveying vehicle.

A method of processing a SiC ingot includes a resistance value measuring step of measuring an electric resistance value of an end face of the SiC ingot, a laser beam output adjusting step of adjusting the output of a laser beam according to the electric resistance value measured in the resistance value measuring step, and a peeling belt forming step in which, while a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through the SiC ingot is being applied to the SiC ingot with a focal point of the laser beam positioned at a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be formed, the SiC ingot and the focal point are put into relative processing feeding in an X-axis direction to form a belt-shaped peeling belt in the inside of the SiC ingot.

A chuck table having a holding portion for holding a workpiece and a frame for supporting the holding portion. The holding portion includes a substrate having a plurality of fine holes arranged like a matrix at given intervals and a plurality of acoustic emission sensors arranged like a matrix on the substrate and spaced from each other so that each fine hole of the substrate is located between any adjacent ones of the acoustic emission sensors. The plurality of fine holes are connected through the frame to a vacuum source, thereby holding the workpiece on the acoustic emission sensors under suction. An elastic wave generated from the workpiece in processing the workpiece is collected at a plurality of positions by the plurality of acoustic emission sensors.