Method of machining silicon wafer

Abstract

A method of machining a silicon wafer is capable of preventing the generation of cracks, which start from a tapered or bevel portion in the periphery of the thin silicon wafer, when the wafer of a single crystal body is machined into the thin wafer. A plurality of silicon wafers 1 having a bevel portion 2 in the periphery are laminated, the bevel portions 2 in the peripheries of the plurality of laminated silicon wafers are ground at the same time, and a face of each silicon wafer is ground so as to obtain a thin silicon wafer 10.

1 . A method of machining a thin silicon wafer comprising the following steps of: 
 laminating a plurality of silicon wafers each providing with a body having front and back surfaces and a periphery having a bevel portion;    grinding the peripheries of the plurality of laminated silicon wafers to remove the bevel portions from the bodies of the silicon wafers; and    dividing the laminated silicon wafers into individual silicon wafers and grinding the back surface of each of the silicon wafers to obtain a thin silicon wafer.    
     
     
         2 . A method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the step of grinding the back surface of each of the silicon wafers is conducted while the front surface of the silicon wafer is being sucked and held by a sucking table.  
     
     
         3 . A method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the step of grinding the back surface of each of the silicon wafers is conducted while a protective film is bonded to the front surface of the silicon wafer which comes into contact with the sucking table.  
     
     
         4 . A method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the sucking table is made of porous material and a sucking face of the sucking table has an outer diameter slightly larger than that of the body of the silicon wafer after the bevel portion is removed.