Influence of Abrasive Density on the Material Removal Mechanisms in Diamond Wire Sawing of Silicon Crystal

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, silicon wafer based solar cells have dominated the market due to their long lifetime and higher photovoltaic efficiency in power generation. Wafers are mainly manufactured by slicing Si ingots using fixed diamond wire sawing process (DWS). This paper presents an investigation of the influences of diamond abrasive density on the material removal mechanisms in DWS based on the model of wire profile model. Results show that the abrasive density directly affects the distribution of cutting depth in different cutting zones. While brittle material removal is still the major way of material removal at the bottom of the wire heading to the ingot, material removal at the side shifts to pure ductile cutting mechanism happens when the abrasive density increases. The developed model could be useful in determining combinations of sawing parameters with given abrasive density for obtaining better DWS process with high efficiency and good wafer surface quality.KeywordsWire sawingMaterial removal mechanismAbrasive machining