Systems and methods for manufacturing diamond coated wires

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873159-B2
Application number	US-201514983954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

A method for designing a diamond coated wire for use in a wafer slicing system includes adjusting an initial diamond size distribution until an intermediate diamond size distribution is generated, wherein the intermediate diamond size distribution has a corresponding simulated penetration thickness value less than or equal a predetermined penetration thickness value, and wherein penetration thickness is a parameter proportional to a depth of subsurface damage that would occur when slicing an ingot using a diamond coated wire having an associated diamond size distribution. The method may include adjusting the intermediate diamond size distribution until a final diamond size distribution is generated, wherein the final diamond size distribution has a maximum diamond grit size that is substantially equal to a predetermined maximum diamond grit size, and manufacturing the diamond coated wire such that the diamond coated wire has a plurality of diamond grits that fit the final diamond size distribution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for designing a diamond coated wire for use in a wafer slicing system, the method comprising:
adjusting an initial diamond size distribution until an intermediate diamond size distribution is generated, wherein the intermediate diamond size distribution has a corresponding simulated penetration thickness value less than or equal a predetermined penetration thickness value, and wherein penetration thickness is a parameter proportional to a depth of subsurface damage that would occur when slicing an ingot using a diamond coated wire having an associated diamond size distribution;
adjusting the intermediate diamond size distribution until a final diamond size distribution is generated, wherein the final diamond size distribution has a maximum diamond grit size that is substantially equal to a predetermined maximum diamond grit size; and
manufacturing the diamond coated wire such that the diamond coated wire has a plurality of diamond grits that fit the final diamond size distribution.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting an initial diamond size distribution comprises adjusting a diamond size range of the initial diamond size distribution.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein adjusting a diamond size range comprises reducing the diamond size range of the initial diamond size distribution.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein reducing the diamond size range comprises reducing the diamond size range to approximately 8 microns.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting an initial diamond size distribution comprises adjusting a standard deviation of the initial diamond size distribution.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein adjusting a standard deviation comprises increasing the standard deviation of the initial diamond size distribution.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting an initial diamond size distribution comprises maintaining an average diamond size of the initial diamond size distribution.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined penetration thickness value is approximately 5 microns.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the intermediate diamond size distribution comprises adjusting an average diamond size of the intermediate diamond size distribution.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein adjusting an average diamond size of the intermediate diamond size distribution comprises increasing the average diamond size of the intermediate diamond size distribution.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined maximum diamond grit size is between approximately 20 microns and 23 microns.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the simulated penetration thickness value is an average penetration thickness value.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the simulated penetration thickness value is a maximum penetration thickness value.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein penetration thickness is defined as a thickness of ingot material that a diamond grit oriented substantially orthogonal to a resulting wafer surface would need to cut through to reach the resulting wafer surface.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting an initial diamond size distribution comprises:
reducing a diamond size range of the initial diamond size distribution; and
increasing a standard deviation of the initial diamond size distribution.

16. A diamond coated wire for use in a wafer slicing system, the diamond coated wire comprising a plurality of diamond grits fitting a predetermined diamond size distribution, wherein the predetermined diamond size distribution has a simulated penetration thickness value less than or equal to approximately 5 microns, wherein penetration thickness is a parameter proportional to a depth of subsurface damage that would occur when slicing an ingot using the diamond coated wire, and wherein the predetermined diamond size distribution has a maximum diamond grit size between approximately 20 microns and 23 microns.

17. The diamond coated wire of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined diamond size distribution has a diamond size range less than or equal to approximately 8 microns.

18. The diamond coated wire of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined diamond size distribution has a diamond size range that extends from approximately 12 microns to 20 microns.

19. The diamond coated wire of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined diamond size distribution has a standard deviation greater than or equal to approximately 1.6 microns.

20. The diamond coated wire of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined diamond size distribution has a standard deviation greater than or equal to approximately 3.2 microns.

Assignees

• Sunedison Inc
• Corner Star Ltd

Inventors

• Rezvanian Omid
• Shive Larry Wayne
• Nandan Rituraj
• Witte Dale A
• Calvin Edward

Classifications

• B28D5/045

  by cutting with wires or closed-loop blades (B28D5/042 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23D61/185

  Saw wires; Saw cables; Twisted saw strips · CPC title

• B23D65/00 Primary

  Making tools for sawing machines or sawing devices for use in cutting any kind of material · CPC title