# US 12,191,138 B2 · Processing method of workpiece > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,191,138 B2 - Document ID: US12191138B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/447,847 - Filed: 2021-09-16 - Published: 2022-04-07 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-02 - Assignees: Disco Corporation - Applicants: Disco Corporation - Inventors: Toshio Tsuchiya; Toshiyuki Yoshikawa; Tomoyuki Hongo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191138B2 ## CPC - H10P 90/18: {by shaping} - B23K 26/0823: {Devices involving rotation of the workpiece} - B23K 26/38: by boring or cutting - B23K 26/50: Working by transmitting the laser beam through or within the workpiece - B23K 26/70: Auxiliary operations or equipment - G02B 26/105: {with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors (G02B26/101 takes precedence)} - H10P 34/42: with electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser annealing (laser cutting H10P54/20) - H10P 52/00: Grinding, lapping or polishing of wafers, substrates or parts of devices - H10P 72/7402: {Wafer tapes, e.g. grinding or dicing support tapes} - B23K 2103/56: {being semiconducting} - H10P 54/00: Cutting or separating of wafers, substrates or parts of devices - H10P 72/7416: {used during dicing or grinding} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract A processing method of a workpiece with a circular disc shape includes sticking a tape to one surface of the workpiece and integrating the workpiece and a frame through the tape, holding the workpiece by a holding unit with the interposition of the tape, and irradiating the other surface of the workpiece located on the opposite side to the one surface with a pulsed laser beam having such a wavelength as to be absorbed by the workpiece from the side of the other surface. In irradiating the laser beam, the other surface is annularly irradiated with the laser beam in the state in which the orientation of the laser beam is adjusted in such a manner that the laser beam has an angle of incidence formed due to inclination with respect to a normal to the other surface of the workpiece by a predetermined angle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A processing method of a workpiece with a circular disc shape, the workpiece being a semiconductor wafer, the processing method comprising: a tape sticking step of sticking a tape to one surface of the workpiece and integrating the workpiece and a frame through the tape; a holding step of holding the workpiece by a holding unit with interposition of the tape after the tape sticking step; and a laser beam irradiation step of irradiating the other surface of the workpiece located on an opposite side to the one surface with a pulsed laser beam having such a wavelength as to be absorbed by the workpiece from a side of the other surface after the holding step, wherein, in the laser beam irradiation step, the semiconductor wafer is ablation processed wherein the other surface is annularly irradiated with the laser beam in a state in which orientation of the laser beam is adjusted in such a manner that the laser beam has an angle of incidence formed due to inclination with respect to a normal to the other surface of the workpiece by a predetermined angle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is held in a state in which the other surface is exposed to a lower side in the holding step, and irradiation with the laser beam that travels from the lower side toward an upper side is executed in the laser beam irradiation step. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein, in the laser beam irradiation step, an annular processing groove having a predetermined diameter on the side of the other side is formed inside an outer circumferential edge of the workpiece to separate the workpiece with the processing groove being a boundary. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece has, on the side of the other surface, a device region in which a plurality of devices are formed and an outer circumferential surplus region that surrounds the device region and is a range to a position separate inward from an outer circumferential edge of the workpiece by a predetermined distance, the workpiece has, on a side of the one surface, a circular recess part corresponding to the device region and an annular projection part that surrounds outside of the circular recess part and corresponds to the outer circumferential surplus region, and a boundary part between the device region and the outer circumferential surplus region on the side of the other surface is irradiated with the laser beam in the laser beam irradiation step. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece has, on the side of the other surface, a device region in which a plurality of devices are formed and an outer circumferential surplus region that surrounds the device region and is a range to a position separate inward from an outer circumferential edge of the workpiece by a predetermined distance, the workpiece has, on a side of the one surface, a circular recess part corresponding to the device region and an annular projection part that surrounds outside of the circular recess part and corresponds to the outer circumferential surplus region, and, in the laser beam irradiation step, a part corresponding to the outer circumferential surplus region in a thickness direction of the workpiece is subjected to ablation to be removed by irradiating the outer circumferential surplus region that is from the outer circumferential edge to the position separate inward from the outer circumferential edge by the predetermined distance with the laser beam. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein, in the laser beam irradiation step, the other surface is irradiated with the laser beam in a state in which a plane of incidence of the laser beam is set orthogonal to a virtual plane that passes through a center of the other surface and a focal point of the laser beam and is orthogonal to the other surface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 6, wherein a processing groove orthogonal to the other surface is formed by rotating the holding unit with respect to the focal point of the laser beam in the laser beam irradiation step. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein, in the laser beam irradiation step, irradiation with the laser beam that travels obliquely with respect to the other surface from a side of a center of the other surface toward outside of the other surface is executed in a state in which a plane of incidence of the laser beam is set parallel to a virtual plane that passes through the center of the other surface and a focal point of the laser beam and is orthogonal to the other surface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 8, wherein in the laser beam irradiation step, the irradiation with the laser beam is executed in the state in which the plane of incidence of the laser beam is set parallel to the virtual plane by controlling an irradiation position of the laser beam by a galvanometer scanner disposed to face the other surface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The processing method of a workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam irradiation step forms a processing groove in the workpiece by the laser beam and includes a detection step of detecting the laser beam that has passed through the processing groove by a light detection unit when the processing groove has penetrated the workpiece.