A dicing blade includes: a first blade portion and a second blade portion at least partially surrounding the first blade portion, wherein the first blade portion includes: a first bonding layer; first diamond particles disposed in the first bonding layer and having a first density in the first bonding layer; and first metal particles disposed in the first bonding layer, and wherein the second blade portion includes: a second bonding layer at least partially surrounding the first bonding layer; and second diamond particles disposed in the second bonding layer and having a second density in the second bonding layer, wherein the second density is higher than the first density.

A method for preparing a SiC ingot includes: preparing a reactor by disposing a raw material in a crucible body and disposing a SiC seed in a crucible cover, and then wrapping the crucible body with a heat insulating material having a density of 0.14 to 0.28 g/cc; and growing the SiC ingot from the SiC seed by placing the reactor in a reaction chamber and adjusting an inside of the reactor to a crystal growth atmosphere such that the raw material is vapor-transported and deposited to the SiC seed.

Methods and apparatus for pre-treating semiconductor wafers before edge trimming to enhance wafer edge quality prior to thinning the semiconductor wafers from an initial thickness, and increasing yield post-thinning of the pre-treated, edge trimmed semiconductor wafers.

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.

A cutting apparatus includes a cutting unit that has a spindle with an annular cutting blade mounted to a tip part of the spindle through a blade mount, and a determining unit. The determining unit has a second flow path that is connected to a first flow path in a mounter of the blade mount for causing a negative or positive pressure to act on the first flow path, a measuring device that obtains a measured value of at least one of a pressure and a flow rate in the second flow path, and a screw-engaged state determining section that determines that a screw-engaged state of a fixed nut with a boss section of the mounter where the cutting blade is disposed is defective in a case where the measured value when the negative or positive pressure acts on the first flow path indicates an abnormal value.

Methods and apparatus for pre-treating semiconductor wafers before edge trimming to enhance wafer edge quality prior to thinning the semiconductor wafers from an initial thickness, and increasing yield post-thinning of the pre-treated, edge trimmed semiconductor wafers.

There is provided a cutting method for cutting a processing-target object by a cutting blade. The cutting method includes a holding step of holding the processing-target object by a holding table and a cutting step of cutting the processing-target object by the cutting blade by causing the cutting blade that rotates to cut into the processing-target object held by the holding table and causing the holding table and the cutting blade to relatively move after the holding step is carried out. In the cutting step, cutting is carried out with detection of whether or not a crack in the processing-target object exists by a crack detecting unit disposed on the rear side relative to the cutting blade in a cutting progression direction in which cutting processing of the processing-target object by the cutting blade progresses.

A cutting apparatus for cutting a workpiece includes a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece thereon, a cutting unit having a spindle with a cutting blade mounted on a distal end thereof for cutting the workpiece held on the holding surface, an image capturing unit for capturing an image of an outer circumferential portion of the cutting blade mounted on the cutting unit, and a determining section for determining the orientation of the cutting blade. The outer circumferential portion of the cutting blade includes a plurality of protrusions each having a first surface for scraping swarf off from the workpiece when the cutting blade cuts the workpiece and a second surface connected to the first surface. The determining section determines the orientation of the cutting blade mounted on the cutting unit, according to an image captured of the protrusions by the image capturing unit.

A mount flange for mounting a cutting blade on a spindle is provided. The cutting blade has a central engaging hole and a peripheral cutting edge. The mount flange includes a cylindrical boss portion having a front portion adapted to be inserted into the engaging hole of the cutting blade and a rear portion whose inner circumferential surface is adapted to be engaged with the spindle, and a flange portion projecting radially outward from the rear portion of the boss portion and having a front surface functioning as a mounting surface adapted to come into abutment against one side surface of the cutting blade. An annular space is formed in the mount flange so as to surround the spindle and open to the inner circumferential surface of the boss portion, thereby suppressing rearward warpage of the outer circumference of the flange portion due to the rotation of the spindle.

In a described example, an apparatus includes: a process chamber configured for a pressure greater than one atmosphere, having a device chuck configured to support electronic devices that are mounted on package substrates and partially covered in mold compound, the electronic devices spaced from one another by saw streets; and a saw in the process chamber configured to cut through the mold compound and package substrates in the saw streets to separate the molded electronic devices one from another.