Patent ID: 7004054

Claim:
A cutting apparatus comprising: a support for holding a wafer having a protective tape thereon; a cutting element placed at a first predetermined distance from said support for moving relative to said support to cut a portion of the protective tape from the wafer when the wafer is placed on the support; a sensor comprising a means for detecting if the portion of the protective tape on a wafer is removed by said cutting element, said sensor being positioned behind said cutting element relative to said first predetermined distance from the perimeter of said wafer and relative to said protective tape to perform the detecting; a transport mechanism capable of moving the wafer from the support to a grinding apparatus if the portion of the protective tape on the wafer is properly removed; and a circuit comprising a means for initiating corrective action to stop the transport mechanism from moving the wafer to the grinding apparatus when the sensor detects that the protective tape is not removed from a wafer by said cutting element, wherein said sensor is coupled to said circuit.