In a method for manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light-emitting element by splitting a semiconductor layer stacked substrate including a semiconductor layer stacked body with a plurality of waveguides extending along the Y-axis to fabricate a bar-shaped substrate, and splitting the bar-shaped substrate along a lengthwise split line to fabricate an individual element, the waveguide in the individual element has different widths at one end portion and the other end portion and the center line of the waveguide is located off the center of the individual element along the X-axis, and in the semiconductor layer stacked substrate including a first element forming region and a second element forming region which are adjacent to each other along the X-axis, two lengthwise split lines sandwiching the first element forming region and two lengthwise split lines sandwiching the second element forming region are misaligned along the X-axis.

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 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.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor light-emitting device includes: (a) forming a semiconductor layer including a light-emitting layer on the first surface of a substrate; (b) forming a first trench and a second trench in the semiconductor layer, the first trench extending in a first direction that is parallel to a principal plane of the substrate, and the second trench being disposed inside and parallel to the first trench; (c) forming a third trench parallel to the first trench in the second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface of the substrate; and (d) forming a semiconductor light-emitting device by dividing the substrate. In (d), an end of at least one divided side of the semiconductor light-emitting device is in the second trench. The first trench has a first width, and the second trench has a second width. The second width is less than the first width.

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 method for exposing a buried defect, the method may include illuminating, by a radiation source, an object that comprises the buried defect, with illuminating radiation that passes through radiation transparent part of a chuck, while the object is supported by the chuck; detecting, by a sensor, a detected radiation that passed through the object, to provide a visual indication about the buried defect, wherein the visual indication is indicative of a location of the buried defect; setting, based on the location of the buried object and a spatial relationship between a cleaving element and the sensor, a cleaving axis of a cleaving element to virtually cross the buried defect; and cleaving, by the cleaving element, the object to expose the buried object.

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 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 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 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.