Patent ID: 6897128

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which a semiconductor wafer, on the first face of which a plurality of semiconductor elements are formed, is divided into individual pieces of semiconductor elements so as to obtain a semiconductor device, the thickness of which is not more than 100 μm, the method comprising: a sheet attaching step of attaching a protective sheet, capable of being peeled off, to the first face; a thickness reducing step of reducing the thickness of the semiconductor wafer to not more than 100 μm by shaving a second face, which is opposed to the first face, by means of machining; a mask forming step of forming a mask for determining cutting lines to divide the semiconductor wafer into the individual pieces on the second face; a plasma dicing step of dividing the semiconductor wafer to the individual pieces by carrying out plasma-etching on the cutting lines when the semiconductor wafer is exposed to plasma from the mask side; a mask removing step of removing the mask by utilizing plasma; a micro-crack removing step of removing micro-cracks, which are generated on the second face in the thickness reducing step, by carrying out plasma-etching on the second face from which the mask has been removed; and a sheet peeling step of peeling the protective sheet from each semiconductor device which has been obtained as an individual piece.