A cutting apparatus cuts a workpiece by a cutting blade. The cutting apparatus includes a mount flange on which the cutting blade is mounted and a replacement apparatus that replaces the cutting blade mounted on the mount flange with the cutting blade for replacement. The replacement apparatus includes a rotating part, a first holding part that holds the cutting blade mounted on the mount flange on a front surface side, a second holding part that holds the cutting blade for replacement on a front surface side, and a nut rotation part that has a nut holding part that holds a nut for fixing the cutting blade to the mount flange and rotates the nut held by the nut holding part. The rotating part is coupled to the first holding part, the second holding part, and the nut rotation part.

The present invention aims at eliminating a need for a moving mechanism that moves a machining table and eliminating a need for a protective cover such as a bellows cover, and includes a machining table that holds a workpiece, a machining mechanism that machines the workpiece with a rotary tool while using a machining liquid, and a moving mechanism that linearly moves the machining mechanism at least in each of X and Y directions on a horizontal plane, in which the machining mechanism moved by the moving mechanism machines the workpiece with respect to the machining table, the machining table being fixed at least in the X and Y directions.

A transfer jig for use in transferring a new cutting blade as a replacement component to the processing unit, in a cutting apparatus including a chuck table holding a workpiece, a processing unit having a spindle and a cutting blade detachably mounted on the spindle, a cutting blade changing unit changing the cutting blade, and a transfer mechanism supplying the workpiece to the processing unit. The transfer jig has a plurality of receiving portions each adapted to receive the new cutting blade and the cutting blade changed by the cutting blade changing unit. The transfer jig is adapted to be transferred by the transfer mechanism transferring the workpiece.

A blade holding jig for holding a washer-type cutting blade via an annular retainer flange includes an annular flange holding portion configured to hold a first annular surface of the retainer flange under suction, and an annular non-contact suction portion arranged on an outer peripheral portion of the flange holding portion and configured to produce a negative pressure by ejection of a fluid toward the outer peripheral portion of the retainer flange held by the flange holding portion and to draw up the cutting blade toward the retainer flange. The cutting blade drawn up toward the retainer flange by the non-contact suction portion is held on the retainer flange by a suction force acting from the flange holding portion via a plurality of through holes disposed extending from a second annular surface to the first annular surface of the retainer flange.

A blade changer unit includes a blade chuck for holding a cutting blade, a moving unit for moving the blade chuck, and a control unit for controlling moving unit. The blade chuck has a plurality of electrically conductive grippers for holding the cutting blade. The controller detects conduction between the grippers and a boss. The control unit includes a calculator for calculating the position of a central axis of the mount from coordinates where the conduction between the holder and the boss is detected when the moving unit is controlled to bring the grippers into contact with the mount at at least three points, and a mounting/dismounting controller for mounting and dismounting the cutting blade while the central axis of the blade chuck is aligned with the central axis of the mount calculated by the calculator.

A blade holding jig for holding a washer-type cutting blade via an annular retainer flange includes an annular flange holding portion configured to hold a first annular surface of the retainer flange under suction, and an annular non-contact suction portion arranged on an outer peripheral portion of the flange holding portion and configured to produce a negative pressure by ejection of a fluid toward the outer peripheral portion of the retainer flange held by the flange holding portion and to draw up the cutting blade toward the retainer flange. The cutting blade drawn up toward the retainer flange by the non-contact suction portion is held on the retainer flange by a suction force acting from the flange holding portion via a plurality of through holes disposed extending from a second annular surface to the first annular surface of the retainer flange.

A cutting apparatus cuts a workpiece by a cutting blade. The cutting apparatus includes a mount flange on which the cutting blade is mounted and a replacement apparatus that replaces the cutting blade mounted on the mount flange with the cutting blade for replacement. The replacement apparatus includes a rotating part, a first holding part that holds the cutting blade mounted on the mount flange on a front surface side, a second holding part that holds the cutting blade for replacement on a front surface side, and a nut rotation part that has a nut holding part that holds a nut for fixing the cutting blade to the mount flange and rotates the nut held by the nut holding part. The rotating part is coupled to the first holding part, the second holding part, and the nut rotation part.

An edge alignment method includes (a) calculating coordinates of points having a possibility of corresponding to an edge of the workpiece, (b) forming an approximate circle by using a least squares method on all the coordinates, (c) calculating deviations between the approximate circle and respective ones of all the points, and if plural ones of the points have deviations greater than or equal to a preset threshold, respectively, then determining the point, the deviation of which is greatest, to be a false detection position, and excluding from consideration candidates the point determined to be the false detection position, and (d) estimating a position of the edge of the workpiece from the coordinates of three or more of the points still remaining without exclusion, and based on the estimated position of the edge, deriving a machining area at the outer peripheral portion of the workpiece.

A method for manufacturing a pattern structure includes preparing a wafer that has a plurality of fine patterns, generating a first trench by processing the wafer from a first surface to a first depth, and generating a second trench connected to the first trench by processing the wafer from a second surface which is opposite to the first surface to a second depth, thereby cutting the wafer.

An LED wafer processing method includes a dividing step of rotatably mounting a first cutting blade having a first width in a first cutting unit, holding an LED wafer on a holding table, and then relatively moving the first cutting unit and the holding table to cut the wafer along each division line formed on the wafer, thereby forming a full-cut groove along each division line to thereby divide the wafer into individual chips. The method further includes rotatably mounting a second cutting blade having a second width larger than the first width in a second cutting unit after performing the dividing step, and then relatively moving the second cutting unit and the holding table to thereby polish the opposed side surfaces of the full-cut groove formed along each division line, whereby a polished groove larger in width than the full-cut groove is formed along each full-cut groove.