Patent ID: 7789988

Claim:
A method for joining a separating adhesive tape to a protective tape joined to a front face of a semiconductor wafer in such a manner that a joining member presses the separating adhesive tape against the protective tape to separate the protective tape together with the separating adhesive tape from the front face of the semiconductor wafer, the method comprising: a first separation step of snagging a peripheral edge of the protective tape on a separation member having a sharp tip end so as to at least partially separate the peripheral edge of the protective tape from the front face of the semiconductor wafer; a joining step of retreating the separation member by which the peripheral edge of the protective tape is separated from the front face of the semiconductor wafer, allowing the joining member to press the separating adhesive tape against the protective tape, and allowing the semiconductor wafer and the joining member to relatively move in a plane direction of the protective tape so as to join the separating adhesive tape to the protective tape; and a second separation step of allowing the semiconductor wafer and the joining member to relatively move in the plane direction of the protective tape with the separated peripheral edge as a starting point so as to separate the protective tape together with the separating adhesive tape from the front face of the semiconductor wafer; the separation member being a needle.