Diamond Electroplated Wire

• Own-production diamond wire features best performance data and is a genuine alternative to the product of the market leader
• The entire machine portfolio is now prepared for diamond wire-cut wafers

The slurry sawing process in mono-crystalline wafer production is therefore facing being replaced by the diamond wire based sawing process. The advantages of this new process lie in the almost parallel profile of the saw cut and a smaller kerf width, which saves valuable raw material.

The SCHMID Group has now prepared its entire product range in the Wafer business sector for diamond wire based wafer production and offers in addition to systems for wafer cleaning, singulation and inspection, their own diamond wire and a wide range of services connected to the sawing process. At the Intersolar Europe in Munich the diamond wire met with a good response due to the excellent results achieved by the tests carried out so far which actually beat the market leader in thickness variation (TTV).

The diamond-studded sawing wires of the FK series, which are manufactured by the Japanese SCHMID Group member Facility, have already been tested on conventional wafer saws and are distinguished by their small diameter and their controlled, consistent diamond concentration. Customer feedback so far confirms high feed speeds, low abrasion and a small kerf.

All technical challenges of a production change-over to the diamond wire sawing process are being accompanied completely and competently by the SCHMID Group in the core processes of Sawing, Cleaning, Singulation, Inspection and Texturing. Here they can fall back on comprehensive know-how from customer projects and their own Test Centers.

To ensure the the continual development of the diamond wire sawing process, SCHMID signed a cooperation contract in May with the globally operating and independent institute, Fraunhofer CSP in Halle, Germany.