φ4-inch sapphire ingot is cut in 6 hours.[10.11.25] Topics & News Release: Toyo Advanced Technologies Co., Ltd.

Toyo Advanced Technologies Co., Ltd. (Head office: Hiroshima, Japan; President: Yasuto Tatsuta) has developed T-8331A, new diamond wire cutting machine that reduces the cutting time of hard-to-process materials, such as sapphire, SiC and GaN (gallium nitride), etc., significantly realizing high productivity and commences practical sales marketing from December, 2010. Toyo introduced a wire cutting machine for solar cell wafers that uses diamond wire, T-8252B, into the market ahead of other manufacturers. It is receiving high reputation by its high-productivity and high-precision processing and recording good sales. Diamond wire cutting technologies cultivated in T-8252B was further advanced in T-8331A, developed this time, and its productivity is significantly enhanced by shorten the cutting time of hard-to-process materials to a half. This machine is applied to cut up toφ6-inch and 300mm length ingots.

The rocking column mechanism, which rocks column holding wire guides, is newly employed in T-8331A to cut hard-to-process materials effectively. In addition to rigid base structure, overall machine rigidity is enhanced with high-rigid structure integrated rocking mechanism to column, etc. Further, twist-free wire management system which prevents wire twisting and skewing and tension control which maintains wire tension uniformly, etc. are devised to make the most of diamond wire performance. In addition, high speed and accurate processing is realized even under heavy-load processing enabling high-speed cutting of wire speed 1,200mm/min. and high-speed reciprocating cut of 1.5 sec. acceleration/deceleration time. And then variable profile control that enables to set various conditions, wire speed, rocking speed and angle, etc., at each cutting position is incorporated. These features realized high-productive, high-precision and low running cost processing even for the cut of hard-to-process materials.

LED and power semi-conductors are expected to be expanding their production from now on. Sapphire, SiC and GaN used in the above are hard-to-process materials and require long time to process. T-8331A is introduced to meet the increasing demand to shorten their cutting time.

♦High-productivity

Enables wire to run with high speed even under heavy-load processing. φ4-inch sapphire ingot can be cut in 6 hours (12 hours in case of φ6-inch ingot). This is a half of conventional machine exercising double productivity.
・Wire guide rocking system, which cuts hard-to-process materials effectively, is newly employed. Rocking angle: ±10°, Max. rocking speed: 1,080°/min.
・Rocking mechanism is integrated in the column to enhance the rigidity enabling heavy-load cutting.
・Restrains wire flexure and vibration with minimized and optimized wire guide center distance.
・Independent drives of two wire guides by high-output servomotors enable high- speed cutting of 1,200mm/min wire speed and high-speed reciprocating cut of 1.5 sec. acceleration/deceleration time.

Cuts ingot in high-precision with controls to restrain wire movements under heavy-load and high-speed processing. Wafer accuracies after cut are TTV 10μm and Bow 15μm for φ4-inch sapphire ingot (15μm and 20μm respectively in the case of φ6-inch ingot).
・Wire guides center distance is designed to 440mm. Restrains wire flexure 5mm or less and vibration 5μm or less.
・Maintains high tension of wire at cutting position by controlling wire tension.
・Provides goniometric device, which adjusts ingot direction to meet with its crystal orientation, to the cutting table.
・Employed center layout arranging each center of ingot, goniometric device, table guide to the center position of wire guide axis longitudinal direction.

Cutting to eliminate useless stress to the wire etc. realized low running cost of wire consumption 15m/wafer or less for φ4-inch sapphire cut (40m/wafer in case of φ6-inch).
・Employed twist-free wire management to prevent wire skewing and catching. This also reduces wire breakages and loss and wear of diamond grains.
・Variable profile control, to set various process conditions at each cutting position, is incorporated. Changing wire speed, coolant flow rate, rocking angle and new wire feed amount, etc. at each cutting position enables high productivity, high-precision processing and low running cost in high level.

Description		Specification
Footprint（W ×L×H）	mm	1,700×3,575×3,170
Max. ingot diameter	mm	φ150
Max. ingot length	mm	300
No. of wire guides		2
Max. wire speed	m⁄min.	1,200

φ4-inch sapphire ingot is cut in 6 hours. -New diamond wire cutting machine for sapphire, SiC and GaN, T-8331A, has been developed.-

φ4-inch sapphire ingot is cut in 6 hours.
-New diamond wire cutting machine for sapphire, SiC and GaN, T-8331A, has been developed.-