Method of processing wafer and grinding apparatus

A method of processing a wafer having a plurality of projected dicing lines on a face side thereof and a plurality of devices formed in respective areas of the face side that are demarcated by the projected dicing lines, comprising:

• a cutting step of cutting the face side of the wafer with a cutting blade to form grooves therein along the projected dicing lines to a depth in excess of a finished thickness of the wafer;
• a first inspecting step of capturing an image of the grooves formed in the cutting step from the face side of the wafer and inspecting a state of a chip in the captured image of the grooves;
• after the first inspecting step, a protecting member sticking step of sticking a protective member to the face side of the wafer;
• a grinding step of holding the protective member side of the wafer on a chuck table and grinding a reverse side of the wafer to thin the wafer to a finished thickness, thereby dividing the wafer into device chips;
• and
• after the grinding step, a second inspecting step of capturing an image of the grooves exposed on the reverse side of the wafer from the reverse side of the wafer and inspecting a state of a chip in the captured image of the grooves.