A Preliminary Numerical Study of the Slurry Wire Sawing Process

Abstract

Slurry wire saw has been utilized to slice the brittle semiconductor wafer substrates for over 20 years. However, the complicated slicing process limits the further studies and advances of this exclusive slicing tool for big wafers. In this study, a numerical model of the slurry wire sawing process was developed based on the mechanism of brittle indentation cracks. The simulation results illustrate how the factors such as wire speed, wire tension, and feed rate of the ingot affect the slicing conditions including the bow angles of the wire and the local normal loads on both the workpiece and the wire. In addition, the results show that the steady-state condition would be reached via overshooting or non-overshooting approach based on the slicing parameters. A higher wire speed is suggested to reduce the bow angles and local loads during slicing process. However, the limitation of the wire speed depends on the material of the wire and the specification of the wire saw machine.