Patent ID: 7807479

Claim:
A method of controlling movement and scribing force of a scribe tool of scribing apparatus relative to a semiconductor wafer or other substrate having an outer peripheral edge, said method including the steps of: positioning the substrate having an outer peripheral edge on a stage; after said positioning step, determining the location of the outer peripheral edge on said stage; after determining the location of the outer peripheral edge, moving the scribe tool relative to the substrate to a position above a predetermined location on the substrate inwardly of the outer peripheral edge without causing contact between the scribe tool and the outer peripheral edge; bringing the scribe tool into engagement with said substrate at said predetermined location; after said engagement, employing said scribe tool to exert a downwardly directed force of predetermined magnitude on the substrate; and after said downwardly directed force of predetermined magnitude has been attained and stabilized, causing movement of said scribe tool along said substrate to form a scribe line in said substrate, said step of determining the location of the outer peripheral edge on said stage including placing an alignment and calibration target having indicia thereon on the stage, employing a camera above the alignment and calibration target to capture an image of the alignment and calibration target and stage, and after removal of the alignment and calibration target from the stage and replacement thereof by the substrate on the stage, utilizing information derived from the image to determine the actual coordinate positions of a plurality of spaced locations on the outer peripheral edge of the substrate.