To provide a back side sputtering method and a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus for implementing the sputtering method, where the stress of a metallic film formed on the back side of a wafer for forming semiconductor elements is small and hence the wafer warps less even its thickness becomes reduced.

A conductive film 7 is formed on the back side of a wafer 1 by sputtering, such that a lattice-shaped region, an island-shaped region 8 and a pit-shaped region are formed separately by at least one chip-forming region basis. The film 7 is formed by using a mask, having desired pattern holes formed in advance so that metal is deposited only on portions corresponding to the holes by sputtering. Using the film 7 thus prepared, the stress caused over the entire surface of the wafer can be reduced, with the result that the warpage of the wafer is reduced.