US Patent 7977215 Method of processing optical device wafer

A method of dividing an optical device wafer includes: a laser beam processing step of performing laser beam processing to provide an optical device wafer with breakage starting points along streets on the face side of the optical device wafer; a protective plate bonding step of bonding the face side of the optical device wafer to a surface of a highly rigid protective plate with a bonding agent permitting peeling; a back side grinding step of grinding the back side of the optical device wafer so as to form the optical device wafer to a finished thickness of the optical devices; a wafer supporting step of adhering the back-side surface of the optical device wafer to a surface of a dicing tape, and peeling the protective plate adhered to the face side of the optical device wafer; and a wafer dividing step of exerting an external force on the optical device wafer so as to break up the optical device wafer along the streets along which the breakage starting points have been formed, thereby dividing the optical device wafer into the individual optical devices.