Semiconductor wafer, method of manufacturing the same, and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

forming an element forming layer including a plurality of element forming regions on a front surface of a semiconductor substrate;

forming a passivation layer on said element forming layer;

selectively removing said passivation layer and forming a scribe line groove along a periphery of each of said element forming regions;

grinding a back surface of said semiconductor substrate with said front surface of said semiconductor substrate covered with a protection tape;

removing said protection tape; and

cutting said semiconductor substrate along said scribe line groove,

wherein said forming said scribe line groove includes forming a stopper which blocks said scribe line groove, in said scribe line groove,

wherein said forming said scribe line groove includes performing a step exposure so as to form said scribe line groove on said semiconductor substrate and said stopper through a single reticle at a same time, and

wherein said forming said scribe line groove includes selectively removing a predetermined depth of said element forming layer together with said passivation layer.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said forming said scribe line groove includes exposing said front surface of said semiconductor substrate, through a reticle formed with an opening at a position corresponding to said scribe line groove and screening a region corresponding to said semiconductor element forming region and said stopper.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said forming said stopper comprises forming said stopper in a plate shape, said stopper having a width that is thinner than a width of said scribe line groove.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said forming said scribe line groove comprises forming said scribe line groove in a grid pattern, and said stopper being located at an intersection region of said scribe line groove.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said stopper is formed in a thickness substantially same as the thickness of said passivation layer, in a layer stacking direction.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said stopper is formed in a same pattern along four sides of each of said plurality of element forming regions.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said forming said scribe line groove includes selectively removing said element forming layer together with said passivation layer.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said forming said scribe line groove includes exposing said front surface of said semiconductor substrate, through the reticle formed with an opening at a position corresponding to said scribe line groove and screening a region corresponding to said semiconductor element forming region and said stopper.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein forming the stopper comprises forming the stopper such that a top surface of the stopper is substantially co-planar with a top surface of the passivation layer.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said forming said scribe line groove comprises forming the scribe line groove in the element forming layer.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising selectively removing the element forming layer along a periphery of each of said element forming regions to further form the scribe line groove.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper fills an entire cross-section of the scribe line groove.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said forming said stopper comprises forming a plurality of stoppers side-by-side in said scribe line groove.