WAFER DIVIDING APPARATUS

To provide a wafer dividing apparatus that can prevent dust, which scatters when a wafer is divided into individual chips, from adhering to the surface of the chips and can thereby prevent degradation of the quality of the chips.SOLUTION: A wafer dividing apparatus 2 at least includes: reversing means 146 which includes a holding portion 54 for holding a frame of a wafer stuck to an adhesive tape and supported at an opening of a frame and which rotates by 180 degrees by a rotatable shaft in the X axis direction to reverse the front and back of the frame; frame lifting means 84 which supports the frame for upward and downward movement in the Z axis direction; dividing means 96 which includes a cylindrical portion 94 that, when a frame is moved upwardly, expands the adhesive tape located between the frame and the wafer thereby to divide the wafer into individual chips along scheduled division lines; a suction table 98 which sucks and holds the wafer divided into the chips to keep the distance between the chips; and tape contraction means 100 which is arranged on a frame lifting means side for heating a slackened adhesive tape so as to be contracted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】ウエーハを個々のチップに分割する際に飛散する粉塵がチップの表面に付着することがなく、チップの品質の低下を防止することができるウエーハ分割装置を提供する。【解決手段】ウエーハ分割装置２は、粘着テープに貼着されフレームの開口部に支持されたウエーハのフレームを保持する保持部５４を備えると共に、Ｘ軸方向の回転軸で１８０度回転してフレームの表裏を反転させる反転手段１４６と、フレームを支持しＺ軸方向に昇降させるフレーム昇降手段８４と、フレームが上昇した際にフレームとウエーハとの間にある粘着テープを拡張しウエーハを分割予定ラインに沿って個々のチップに分割する円筒部９４を備えた分割手段９６と、チップに分割されたウエーハを吸引保持してチップとチップの間隔を維持する吸引テーブル９８と、フレーム昇降手段側に配設され弛んだ粘着テープを加熱して収縮させるテープ収縮手段１００と、から少なくとも構成される。【選択図】図１