Expanding device, semiconductor chip manufacturing method, and semiconductor chip

A semiconductor chip manufacturing method comprising:

• forming a modified layer in a wafer including a plurality of semiconductor chips by emitting a laser beam to the wafer from a laser irradiator operable to emit the laser beam;
• supplying the wafer to an expander configured to expand an elastic sheet member by a movement mechanism operable to supply the wafer to the expander, at least one of a cooler operable to cool the sheet member or a heater operable to heat and shrink the sheet member while maintaining a gap between the plurality of semiconductor chips, and a squeegee configured to locally press the wafer, the expander, at least one of the cooler or the heater, and the squeegee being linearly aligned in a plan view;
• and
• expanding the sheet member to divide the wafer into the plurality of semiconductor chips along a dividing line by the expander.

A semiconductor chip manufactured by an expanding device, the expanding device comprising:

• an expander configured to expand an elastic sheet member to divide a wafer into a plurality of semiconductor chips along a dividing line;
• at least one of a cooler configured to cool the sheet member before the sheet member is expanded by the expander or a heater to heat and shrink the sheet member expanded by the expander while maintaining a gap between the plurality of semiconductor chips;
• a squeegee configured to locally press the wafer after the expander expands the sheet member to divide the wafer into the plurality of semiconductor chips;
• and
• a movement mechanism configured to supply the wafer to the expander, at least one of the cooler or the heater, and the squeegee;
• wherein
• the expander, at least one of the cooler or the heater, and the squeegee are linearly aligned in a plan view.