Provided that is a marking machine for applying markings to an ingot having separating layers formed at a depth corresponding to a thickness of a wafer to be produced. The marking machine includes a reading unit configured to read the ingot information formed on the ingot, a control unit having a storage section configured to store the ingot information read by the reading unit, and a marking unit configured to mark, based on the ingot information stored in the storage section, information that includes the ingot information, to the wafer to be produced.

There is provided a peeling apparatus including an ingot holding unit that has a holding surface for holding an ingot, a wafer holding unit that is capable of approaching and separating from the ingot holding unit and has a holding surface for holding under suction a wafer to be produced, and a cleaning brush that cleans peel-off surfaces at which the wafer to be produced has been peeled off from the ingot and thereby removes peeling swarf.

An ultrasonic wave is applied to an upper surface of an ingot via a liquid layer, in a state in which an outer circumferential region of a lower surface of the ingot is sucked. A lower side around an outer circumferential arc-shaped portion of the lower surface of the ingot is open so that liquid that serves as a medium of the ultrasonic wave does not collect around the outer circumferential arc-shaped portion of the lower surface of the ingot. As a result, a peel-off layer formed in the ingot is not immersed in liquid when an ultrasonic wave is applied to the upper surface of the ingot via the liquid layer. Consequently, even when the ingot becomes thin, the ingot can be separated at the peel-off layer, and a wafer can be peeled off from the ingot.

A method for manufacturing an ingot block in which an ingot of a silicon single crystal pulled up by a Czochralski process is cut and subjected to outer periphery grinding to manufacture an ingot block of the silicon single crystal, the method including: a step of measuring a radial center position of the ingot at one or more locations along a longitudinal direction of the ingot, a step of setting a reference position at which an offset amount of the measured radial center position of the ingot is equal to or less than a predetermined eccentricity amount, a step of cutting the ingot into the ingot blocks based on the set reference position, and a step of performing outer periphery grinding on each of the cut ingot blocks.

A tape is stuck to the front surface of a workpiece in such a manner that the direction in which the stretch rate becomes the lowest when a predetermined force is applied to the tape is non-parallel to each of multiple planned dividing lines extending in a lattice manner. In this case, each of the multiple planned dividing lines does not extend along the direction perpendicular to this direction. This can reduce the ratio of the region to which the tape does not stick in the front surface of the workpiece in the vicinity of the boundary between each of the multiple planned dividing lines and a region in which a device is formed and suppress deterioration of the processing quality when the workpiece is divided from the back surface side by a cutting blade.

After a glass sheet (G) having a scribe line (S) formed thereon is placed on a placement table (10) and positioned so that the scribe line (S) is positioned in a bending stress applying portion (15) of the placement table (10), when the glass sheet (G) is split along the scribe line (S) by applying a bending stress to a formation region of the scribe line (S) by the bending stress applying portion (15), the glass sheet (G) is positioned by laying a resin sheet (9) under the glass sheet (G) on the placement table (10) and aligning one side (G1) of the glass sheet (G) extending in a direction along the scribe line (S) with marks (Ma to Nd) projected onto a protruding portion (9a) of the resin sheet (9) by laser markers (16a to 16d).

A manufacturing method of semiconductor wafers includes preparing a ingot having a first major surface and a second major surface in a back side of the first major surface, a peeling layer being formed in the ingot along the first major surface; and applying a load to the ingot from outside thereof with respect to a surface direction along the first major surface such that a moment with a supporting point which is a first end of the ingot in the surface direction acts on the ingot, thereby peeling a wafer precursor from the ingot. Also, a dynamic force may be applied to the ingot such that a tensile stress along an ingot thickness direction acts on an entire area of the ingot in the surface direction, thereby peeling the wafer precursor from the ingot.

In a semiconductor chip manufacturing device which produces a plurality of LD chips by dividing a semiconductor wafer, being placed in a casing in which a fluid medium is filled, on which a block line is formed in advance and also on which a scribed line is inscribed so that a microcrack is formed along the scribed line, the semiconductor chip manufacturing device comprises a reception stage for supporting the semiconductor wafer, and a blade cutting-edge for pressurizing the semiconductor wafer along its crack portion made of the block line or the scribed line, so that the semiconductor wafer is divided into a plurality of LD chips by pressurizing it by means of the blade cutting-edge along the crack portion in the fluid medium.

In a method, substrate elements are provided wherein each substrate element has a first side and a second side meeting at a corner point. The substrate elements are picked and then placed on a support device in alignment. A cutting operation is then performed where each of the substrates elements are cut along a cut line having a common first direction which intersects the first and second sides of each of the substrate elements in order to create a third side on each substrate element. The third side of each of the substrate elements meets the first and the second sides at corresponding corner points.

A die matrix expander includes a subring including ≥3 pieces, and a wafer frame supporting a dicing tape having an indentation for receiving pieces of the subring. The subring prior to expansion sits below a level of the wafer frame and has an outer diameter <an inner diameter of the wafer frame. A translation guide coupled to the subring driven by mechanical force applier moves the subring pieces in an angled path upwards and outwards for stretching the dicing tape including to a top most stretched position above the wafer frame that is over or outside the wafer frame. A cap placed on the pieces of the subring after being fully expanded over the dicing tape locks the dicing tape in the top most stretched position and secures the pieces of the expanded subring in place including when within the indentation during an additional expansion during a subsequent die pick operation.