ADVANCED WAFERING PROCESS

CRYSTALLINE MATERIALS ARE EXPENSIVE, HARD, AND BRITTLE; AND SLICING THESE CRYSTALS INTO THIN WAFERS PRESENTS UNIQUE MANUFACTURING CHALLENGES. TO MEET INDUSTRY'S ECONOMIC AND ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS, LARGER CRYSTALS ARE BEING PRODUCED THAT CAUSE GREATER CHALLENGES. CURRENT SLICING TOOLS FOLLOW STANDARDS ADOPTED OVER 20 YEARS AGO. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF LARGER CRYSTALS, THESE TOOLS HAVE BEEN MADE LARGER (AND THICKER) WITHOUT RECOGNIZING THE BENEFITS OF UTILIZING NEW, HIGH STRENGTH MATERIALS. A NEW FAMILY OF CUTTERS IS BEING MADE TO PROVIDE INDUSTRY WITH A NEW AND EFFICIENT MEANS OF SLICING EVEN LARGER CRYSTALS. THE NEW SLICING SYSTEM IS MORE COST EFFECTIVE WITH LESS MATERIAL WASTE. RESEARCH IS BEING DEVELOPED ON A UNIQUE PROCESSING TECHNIQUE THAT WILL PROVIDE INDUSTRY WITH THE CAPABILITY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF COMPOSITE PRODUCTS.