An apparatus includes a processing chamber, a substrate support in the processing chamber, a plasma source coupled to the processing chamber, and a plurality of heating devices arranged on the processing chamber. Each heating device is configured to emit laser beam on a substrate positioned on the substrate support to heat the substrate.

A laser applying apparatus includes a beam spot shaper for shaping a spot of a laser beam into a slender spot and orienting the polarization direction of a linearly polarized laser beam of the laser beam along a longer side of the slender spot, and a spot control unit for positioning a P-polarized laser beam on slanted surfaces of a recess that is formed in a wafer by orienting the longer side of the slender spot transversely across projected dicing lines and for orienting a shorter side of the slender spot in a processing direction along the projected dicing lines. A method of processing a wafer includes a functional layer removing step that is a step of removing a functional layer on a semiconductor substrate of the wafer by applying laser beams to the projected dicing lines with the use of the laser applying apparatus. The functional layer removing step is carried out a plurality of times to remove the functional layer on the projected dicing lines.

A method of splitting a semiconductor work piece includes: forming a separation zone within the semiconductor work piece, wherein forming the separation zone comprises modifying semiconductor material of the semiconductor work piece at a plurality of targeted positions within the separation zone in at least one physical property which increases thermo-mechanical stress within the separation zone relative to a remainder of the semiconductor work piece, wherein modifying the semiconductor material in one of the targeted positions comprises focusing at least two laser beams to the targeted position; and applying an external force or stress to the semiconductor work piece such that at least one crack propagates along the separation zone and the semiconductor work piece splits into two separate pieces. Additional work piece splitting techniques and techniques for compensating work piece deformation that occurs during the splitting process are also described.

A laser beam irradiating unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillating mechanism. The laser oscillating mechanism includes a group setting unit configured to, on a condition that a pulsed laser beam is applied at shorter time intervals than a length of time that molten debris is generated, set the number of pulsed laser beams to be applied until a time that the molten debris is solidified and set the number of pulsed laser beams as one group. A time interval setting unit is configured to set a time until heat generated by application of the pulsed laser beams of the one group is cooled, which serves as a time interval between the one group and an adjacent group, and set time intervals of the pulsed laser beams constituting the one group. The laser oscillating mechanism sets a repetition frequency with the one group as one unit.

A processing method of a bonded wafer includes forming a plurality of modified layers in a form of rings through positioning focal points of laser beams with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to a first wafer inside the first wafer, from which a chamfered part is to be removed, from a back surface of the first wafer and executing irradiation, holding a second wafer side on a chuck table, and grinding the back surface of the first wafer to thin the first wafer. In the forming the modified layers, the focal points of the laser beams are set in such a manner as to gradually get closer to a joining layer in a direction from an inner side of the first wafer toward an outer side thereof, so that the plurality of ring-shaped modified layers are formed in a form of descending stairs.

A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices, the semiconductor devices manufactured, and apparatuses for forming the semiconductor devices are described in which by-products from etching processes are independently heated separately from a semiconductor wafer. In embodiments a dielectric material is deposited into a trench over a semiconductor substrate and the dielectric material is recessed with an etching process. The etching process includes heating the semiconductor substrate and separately heating a by-product of the etching process.

Various technologies are described herein pertaining to electrochemical etching of a semiconductor controlled by way of a laser that emits light with an energy below a bandgap energy of the semiconductor.

Disclosed is a method of processing a substrate, the method including: a heating operation of irradiating a substrate with a laser generated from a laser source and heating the substrate, in which the heating operation includes: a laser splitting operation of splitting the laser into a plurality of beamlets using an optical modulation unit; and a laser irradiating operation of irradiating the substrate with the plurality of beamlets, and the plurality of beamlets is emitted so as not to overlap or be connected to one another.

A laser crystallization monitoring device includes a stage that supports a substrate, a laser beam generator that emits a laser beam to the substrate, a mirror that reflects the laser beam emitted from the laser beam generator and that rotates around a rotation axis, a first telecentric f-theta lens located on the laser beam path between the mirror and the substrate, a second telecentric f-theta lens through which the laser beam reflected from the substrate passes, and a monitor that inspects the laser beam passing through the second telecentric f-theta lens.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes cutting a substrate structure along a scribe lane to separate a plurality of semiconductor devices from the substrate structure. The substrate structure includes a plurality of device regions and the scribe lane separates the plurality of device regions. Each of the plurality of device regions includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side. Each of the plurality of device regions includes bonding pads arranged along the first side, and bonding pads are absent on a region adjacent to the second side. The plurality of device regions are arranged such that the first side and the second side of adjacent device regions face each other and the scribe lane is therebetween in the substrate structure. The substrate structure further includes metal patterns arranged closer to the second side than to the first side in the scribe lane.