US Patent 7987886 Protective tape joining apparatus

A chuck table is configured with a table main body having a wafer placement part holding a wafer placed thereon, and an annular tape support frame provided outside the wafer placement part with a cutter blade traveling groove being interposed therebetween. The tape support frame has, at a top face thereof, a plurality of linear grooves arranged in parallel in a tape joining direction, a large number of linear tape support parts each located between the linear grooves, and an annular tape support part supporting the protective tape at an outer side of the cutter blade traveling groove.