Patent ID: 7833367

Claim:
An apparatus for cutting a supporting adhesive tape of insulating materials allowing a ring frame to hold a semiconductor wafer, the apparatus comprising: a frame holding mechanism for holding a ring frame; a tape supply mechanism for supplying a strip-shaped supporting adhesive tape toward the ring frame; a joining mechanism for pressing a joining member against a non-adhesive surface of the adhesive tape, allowing the holding means and the joining member to move relatively, and joining the adhesive tape to the ring frame; a cutting mechanism including a cutting member having a sharp tip end, and cutting the adhesive tape along a contour of the ring frame while bringing the cutting member penetrating the adhesive tape into contact with the ring frame; an electric current feed unit for feeding electric current to the ring frame via the cutting member upon cutting of the adhesive tape so as to establish electrical conduction when the cutting member comes into contact with the ring frame; a sensor for detecting a conduction failure that occurs in lost of contact between the cutting member and the ring frame upon cutting of the adhesive tape; and a separation mechanism for separating an unnecessary portion of the cut adhesive tape.