KR100708787B1 - Wire saw and process for slicing multiple semiconductor ingots - Google Patents

Abstract

The wire saw 10 simultaneously cuts the cylindrical single crystal ingot 14 into wafers simultaneously. The wire saw comprises a cutting head 16, an ingot support 12, and a number of generally parallel cutting wires 18 that define the cutting web 30. Ingot support 12 is set on the cutting web and is suitable for mounting at least two ingots 14 thereon. The slurry delivery system includes at least one amount of nozzles 34, 36, and 38 that is at least one greater than the number of ingots, and the nozzles are generally arranged to dispense slurry along the wire web on the side of each ingot. The process of simultaneously cutting at least two generally cylindrical semiconductor ingots into wafers comprises mounting at least two ingots with a common ingot support, and cutting the ingot supports such that the two ingots simultaneously press the cutting web in the cutting area. Moving along the web, and administering the liquid slurry to at least three locations on the wire web, including two outermost sides of the cut region and one location between each ingot pair.

Semiconductor Ingot, Wafer, Slurry Dosing, Ingot Cutting Process, Wire Web

Description

WIRE SAW AND PROCESS FOR SLICING MULTIPLE SEMICONDUCTOR INGOTS}

The present invention generally relates to cutting single crystal semiconductor ingots into a plurality of wafers, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for improving throughput by slicing at least two semiconductor ingots simultaneously.

Semiconductor wafers are generally prepared as single crystal ingots, such as cylindrical silicon ingots. Ingots are usually cut perpendicular to their major axis direction to produce as many hundreds of thin disc shaped wafers as possible. The cutting operation may be performed by a wire saw, in which the ingot is in contact with the reciprocating wire, and a liquid slurry containing abrasive grains is supplied to the contact area between the ingot and the wire. As abrasive particles in the slurry are rubbed into the ingot by a wire, the silicon crystal is removed and the ingot is gradually cut. Wire saws provide a soft mechanical cutting method suitable for the cutting of silicon crystals which, because of their weakness, can be damaged by other types of saws (eg, conventional internal diameter saws). After cutting, each wafer is subjected to a number of processing operations to reduce the thickness, remove damage caused by the cutting operation, and create a flat, high reflectivity surface suitable for installation of integrated circuit devices.

Generally, the wire saw includes three or four rollers rotatably mounted on the frame, each roller including a guide groove for receiving segments of the wire. Parallel wires of various lengths extend between two rollers to form a wire web for cutting the ingot into multiple wafers. The spacing between adjacent wires in the web generally corresponds to the thickness of one wafer before processing. The apparatus includes an ingot support, which can mount one silicon ingot and is adjustable to precisely align the direction of the ingot crystal structure with respect to the cut plane. The ingot support is moveable to contact the ingot with the wire web. One example of a conventional wire saw is disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,904,136, and a system for cutting a wafer is disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,191,159.

The slurry is transferred from the adjacent slurry vessel to the wire by at least one nozzle, tubing and pump that dispenses the slurry into the wire web. A portion of the slurry then moves with the wire to the contact area between the wire and the ingot where the silicon crystals are cut. Two nozzles are generally arranged on opposite sides of the ingot holder, so that the slurry can be administered to the web on both sides of the ingot, thereby making it easy to cut the region in any of the moving directions of the wire through which the slurry reciprocates. Can be delivered. Each nozzle is located close to the top of the wire web and is configured to dispense the slurry in a generally thin linear dispersion pattern such that the slurry is formed into a curtain or sheet shape. The slurry curtain extends over the entire width of the wire web and is delivered to every slice in the ingot and every reach of the wire.

An important concern when cutting semiconductor ingots is to maintain the flatness of the wafer being cut with a wire saw. One solution for preventing warpage and variations in thickness on the wafer surface is to control the increase in frictional heat in the contact area, ie the cut area. As such, the liquid slurry can be actively cooled to remove heat while passing through the cutting zone prior to being administered onto the wire web. The heat exchanger is generally located between the vessel and the nozzle to cool the slurry.

A limitation to the process of cutting semiconductor ingots is that this process takes considerable time and can impede the efficient production of wafers. It is desirable to cut ingots as quickly as possible to improve throughput and reduce costs, but there are difficulties in realizing a faster wire saw cutting process. The speed of cutting the wire cannot be sufficiently increased because this increase in speed increases the temperature in the cutting area and damages the flatness of the wafer.

Thus, there is a current need to increase the throughput of a wire saw without degrading the cutting quality of the wafer.

Among the various objects and features of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus and process for increasing the throughput in cutting semiconductor ingots into wafers; Providing an apparatus and process for simultaneously cutting multiple ingots; Providing an apparatus and process for producing flat and high quality wafer slices; Providing an apparatus and process for cutting a plurality of ingots of different lengths; And the provision of economical apparatus and processes.                 

In general, the wire saw of the present invention simultaneously cuts multiple, typically cylindrical single crystal ingots into wafers. The wire saw includes a frame that includes an ingot support and a cutting head. The cutting head includes a cutting wire suitable for cutting the ingot, and a wire guide roller mounted on the frame to support the wire against longitudinal movement of the wire. The wire is supported by the rollers in reach between adjacent rollers. Each rich includes generally parallel lengths of wire for cutting a plurality of wafers from an ingot, at least one of which defines a cutting web. The ingot support is adjusted to mount at least two ingots on the support, in registration with the longitudinal axis of the cutting web and the ingot generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire in the cutting web. The frame is equipped with a cutting head and an ingot support so that the ingots mounted on the ingot support move relatively through the cutting web as the wire moves in the longitudinal direction to substantially simultaneously cut the wafers from the ingots into the wire. .

In another aspect, the process of the present invention simultaneously cuts at least two semiconductor ingots, typically cylindrical, into wafers using a wire saw comprising a movable cutting wire disposed in generally parallel riches between the guide rollers. do. At least one of the riches defines a cutting web and the wire is suitable for cutting the ingot. The process includes mounting at least two ingots on a common ingot support such that the ingots are disposed in registration with the cutting web and the longitudinal axis of the ingot generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire within the cutting web. The ingot support is moved relative to the cutting web such that the at least two ingots press against the cutting web at the same time in the cutting area where the ingot contacts the wire web. The liquid slurry is administered at at least three locations on the wire web, that is, one location between the two outermost sides of the ingot cutting area and each pair of ingots.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be disclosed in more detail and in the following.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a wire saw of the present invention with two semiconductor ingots mounted thereon;

2 is a schematic perspective view of a wire saw of the present invention with three ingots mounted thereon;

3 is a schematic perspective view of a wire saw of the invention with four ingots stacked and mounted thereon;

4 is a schematic perspective view of a wire saw of the invention with six ingots stacked thereon and mounted thereon;

5 is an enlarged schematic cross sectional view of a structure for attaching an ingot to an ingot support;

6 is a schematic front view of a second embodiment of the present invention including a dual adapter for supporting two ingots.

7 is a schematic front view of a second embodiment using a triple adapter for supporting three ingots.

8 is a schematic perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention including a central support having one vertical member.

9 is a schematic perspective view of a third embodiment including a center support having two vertical members.

10 is a schematic plan view of a cutting wire web for two ingots of different lengths.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a first example of a combination of a pair of ingots that do not require a center support; FIG.

12 is a schematic plan view showing a second example of a combination of a pair of ingots that do not require a center support;

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing a third example of a combination of a pair of ingots that do not require a center support; FIG.

14 is a schematic plan view showing a fourth example of a combination of a pair of ingots that does not require a center support;

Like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a wire saw of the present invention for simultaneously cutting a plurality of semiconductor ingots into wafers is indicated generally by reference numeral 10. Wire saw 10 includes an ingot support, generally designated 12, for holding ingot 14. The cutting head, generally designated by reference numeral 16, is equipped with a reciprocating wire 18 for cutting the ingot. The ingot support 12 is configured to support conventional single crystal silicon ingots 14, which are usually cylindrical in shape and are generally arranged side by side such that the longitudinal axes of the ingots are almost parallel on the same line. The ingots 14 are cut in contact with the moving cutting wire 18 in the polishing liquid slurry. Ingot support 12 and cutting head 16 are mutually movable such that ingots 14 engage with cutting wire 18 to move in and out, and other involvement between cutting head and ingot support known to those skilled in the art. Actions are supported to facilitate cutting.

The cutting head 16 comprises rotatable wire guide rollers 22, around which the cutting wire 18 is wound in an annular shape for the action of rotating around the rollers. Preferably, the four guide rollers 22 are arranged in a generally rectangular arrangement, but saws with fewer or more rollers, or in other arrangements, do not depart from the technical scope of the present invention. The ingot support 12 is generally located above the rectangular arrangement of the rollers 22 so that the ingots 14 only touch the top of the cutting wire 18 that spans between the two top rollers. However, since the ingot support 12 can be placed anywhere with respect to the roller 22, the ingots 14 can be in contact with any part of the wire 18. Preferably, the ingot support 12 and the cutting head 16 are mounted on a common support frame 24 where the ingot support is movable relative to the frame, while the cutting head is fixed relative to the frame. . When the cutting is performed, the ingot gradually moves through the cutting wire 18 as the wire passes through the ingot. The ingot support 12 continues to move toward the cutting head 16 normally so that the ingot 14 continues to contact the wire 18 in the contact region within each slice.

The cutting wire 18 is supported by rollers in a number of generally parallel riches between the rollers 22 to cut a plurality of wafers from the ingot 14. Each of the riches includes a plurality of generally parallel lengths of wire 18, each length cutting one slice in each ingot. The parallel reach of the wires 18 on the guide rollers 22 collectively define a cutting web, which is indicated by the reference numeral 30. The wire web 30 may include hundreds of parallel lengths of the wire 18, which is intended to carry a corresponding number of slices, and any number of webs formed will not depart from the technical scope of the present invention. The at least one roller 22 is connected to another suitable drive machine or motor (not shown) that provides power for driving the wire 18 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the operation of the wire saw 10. Each roller 22 includes a number of annular grooves (not shown) around the circumference that are suitable for receiving the lengths of the cutting wire 18. The wire is reciprocated in the longitudinal motion by being driven by the roller 22. As is known to those skilled in the art, the wire 18 moves in a forward direction during a predetermined first time or length change and then in a reverse direction during a predetermined second time or length change. The wire 18 can be extended in a conventional manner with a take up reel and a discharge reel (not shown) to collect the excess length of the wire which is not currently sensed around the guide roller 22. have.

The wire saw 10 includes a slurry system for supplying a polishing liquid slurry to a portion of the wire web 30 to be transferred along the wire 18 to a contact area between the wire and the ingots 14. In a preferred embodiment, three nozzles 34, 36, 38 are arranged to dispense the slurry onto the wire. Each nozzle is formed in a slit form in a conventional manner, as known to those skilled in the art, through which the slurry is fed down in a thin, flat, dispersed form in the form of a curtain or sheet 40. The curtain of slurry 40 is perpendicular to the wire 18 and has a length approximately equal to the width of the wire web 30. Each nozzle 34, 36, 38 receives slurry from suitable slurry vessels, pumps, and tubing (not shown), each of which is conventional in nature, capable of delivering slurry from the vessel to the nozzle. . The system includes a manifold next to each nozzle to maintain a small amount of slurry. In operation, the entire flow of slurry is actively distributed at different rates between the nozzles 34, 36, 38, or passively at the same rate as each other.

In order to regulate heat, the liquid slurry is actively cooled prior to administration on the wire web 30. As known to those skilled in the art, a heat exchanger (not shown) is disposed between the slurry vessel and each nozzle or in the vessel. A slurry at 30 ° C. is generally provided for cutting one ingot, but in practice, when cutting two or more ingots 14 at the same cutting speed as for one ingot, the slurry is cooled to a temperature of 25 ° C. Is known to be useful. In the present invention this is achieved by including a second heat exchanger in the vessel. However, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a single large heat exchanger or other cooling mechanism and temperature may be applied.

The nozzles 34, 36, 38 are arranged such that the slurry is carried by the wire 18 into the contact area between the wire and each ingot 14 in both directions of movement of the wire. As shown in FIG. 1, the first and second nozzles 34, 36 typically have opposite wire webs 30 on opposite sides of the ingot support such that slurry can be dispensed onto the wire webs on both sides of the ingot support 12. ) Is placed on top. The first and second nozzles 34, 36 should preferably be mounted in a fixed position relative to the cutting head 16 to the support frame, and the ingot support 12 as the ingot support 12 moves relative to the cutting head. Don't go with it. The first and second nozzles 34, 36 include lengths at each end of the width of the web 30, so that the slurry can fall over all lengths of the wire 18 so that the slurry falls over the wire web 30. Are arranged at suitable close proximity (such as 2 cm). It is desirable to collect and recycle the slurry by conventional methods.

The present invention also generally includes a third nozzle 38 (FIG. 1) disposed above the wire web 30 and mounted to the ingot support 12. Conventional wire saws for cutting a single ingot include first and second nozzles 34 and 36, but in the present invention the third nozzle 38 is used to deliver and dispense the appropriate amount of slurry to the two ingots 14. This includes. Each ingot receives slurry on both sides of the ingot. Since the third nozzle 38 is attached to the ingot support 12, the third nozzle moves with the ingot support when the ingot support moves relative to the cutting head 16. Other arrangements and mounting of nozzles are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Two bars 46 extend vertically downward from opposite ends of the third nozzle 38 to prevent the slurry from bunching and to facilitate good slurry administration. Unlike the first and second nozzles 34, 36 which are fixed at tight intervals above the wire web 30, the third nozzle 38 is separated from the wire by the ingot support 12 (30 cm). Likewise) move a considerable distance. Thus, a thin curtain of slurry 40 dispensed from the third nozzle will fall a greater distance before reaching the wire. Indeed, unbound slurry curtains tend to coalesce into narrower forms that coalesce as they descend in form. The slurry dispensed from the nozzle 38 may fall a distance sufficient to worsen the original linear pattern so that the slurry does not fall to the lengths of the wires near both ends of the web 30.

Bar 46 solves this problem by providing a surface where the edge of slurry curtain 40 sticks due to the effect of surface tension or other fluid dynamics. Indeed, the inclusion of the bar 46 prevents the slurry from tending to coalesce so as to maintain the original width of the slurry until the slurry reaches the wire web 30. Thus, the slurry is dispensed for all lengths of wire 18, including the lengths at each end of the web width, so that the slurry can be delivered to every slice in the ingot. In configuration the bar 46 is generally thin and extends from each end of the third nozzle 38. The bar 46 does not interfere with the movement of the wire web 30 when the ingot support 12 moves toward the web. Bar 46 may have a variety of cross-sectional shapes, diameters, and lengths. Preferably, it has a length substantially equal to the maximum operating distance between the third nozzle 38 and the wire web 30.

Wire saw 10 can support two or three side by side horizontally arranged ingots 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, or support a single ingot as in a conventional wire saw. You may. Ingot support 12 may also be used for ingots of different sizes, but in practice two 150 mm diameter ingots (FIG. 1), three 100 mm diameter ingots (FIG. 2), or a single 300 mm diameter ingot may be used. Ingot supports are useful for supporting. At least one nozzle for slurry administration is greater than the number of ingots 14 arranged side by side. For example, when using two ingots 14, there are three nozzles 34, 36, 38. Using three ingots 14 there are four nozzles. These ingots and nozzles are alternately arranged so that the slurry is administered at different locations, usually on both sides of all ingots 14.

The ingot support 12 may support up to four or six ingots, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, when the ingot pairs are typically stacked vertically. In the lamination method, the down time of the wire saw is reduced because the number of thinly cut ingots 14 can be increased before it is necessary to stop the operation to load new ingots or change the configuration. Thus providing improved efficiency. After the ingots on the lower side are cut, the operation of cutting the ingots on the upper side is performed. However, it is evident that other configurations are possible, including any number of ingots and non-horizontal and non-vertical relative ingot arrangements, without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a preferred structure for attaching ingot 14 to ingot support 12 is indicated by reference numeral 50. Each ingot is attached to a mount beam 52 by conventional epoxy, which has a concave surface 54 corresponding to the convex cylindrical outer surface of the ingot 14. As is known to those skilled in the art, the crystallographic face of the silicon crystal lattice is carefully determined with respect to the mounting beam 52 using other suitable techniques with proximity angle tolerances such as x-rays or within 1/4 °. The direction is adjusted and placed. The mounting beam 52 is connected to a plate 56 connectable to a dove tail support 58.

Ingot support 12 includes a receptacle in the shape of slot 60 along its lower side. An inner shoulder 62 having an inclined surface is disposed in the slot. The dovetail support 58 is receivable in the slot 60, with the first inclined surface 66 on the support 58 slidingly sliding onto the inclined surface on the shoulder 62. A clamp, denoted by reference numeral 68, is provided for fitting the support 58 in a fixed position in the slot. The clamp includes an engagement block 70 having an inclined surface that can contact the second inclined surface 72 on the support 58. The shaft 74 connects the block 70 with a mechanical or hydraulic actuator (not shown). The block 70 and the shaft 74 are in an "unlock" position where the support can be moved longitudinally in the slot 60 without the block pressing on the dove tail shaped support 58 and the block is dove tailed. The shaped support 58 is depressed and the support is movable between "locked" positions in a fixed position in the slot. Other structures are possible for attaching the ingot to the ingot support without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.

In the stacking structure of FIGS. 3 and 4, the ingot pairs are bonded to the intermediate mounting beam 76 interposed between the ingots 14 by epoxy. Each of these mounting beams 76 has a concave top / bottom surface corresponding to the convex shape of the cylindrical outer surface of each ingot 14. Stacked ingot pairs are carefully arranged in crystal orientation so that their respective crystallographic faces can be aligned.
A second embodiment of the invention is schematically shown at 80 in FIGS. 6 and 7. The second embodiment 80 includes adapters 82 and 84 for easily converting wire saws between configurations for cutting one, two or three side by side ingots 14. Ingot support 12 has a common loading platform or head 86 along its lower side with a receptacle in the form of a slot 88. The slot 88 may have a variety of shapes and structures for attaching the ingot, but is configured as the slot receiving portion 60 on the ingot support 12 of the first embodiment as described above and as shown in FIG. 5. It is preferable. The dual adapter 82 (FIG. 6) is configured to support two ingots, but it can also support only one ingot or three or four stacked ingots. The dual adapter 82 has a mounting ridge 90 on its top surface that abuts inside the slot 88 of the head 86. Preferably, the ridge 90 has the form of a dovetail support 58 as shown in FIG. The triple adapter 84 (FIG. 7) is configured to support three ingots 14, but it may also support a stack of one or two ingots, or 4-6 ingots. The triple adapter 84 also has a mounting ridge 90 of the same size as the ridge of the dual adapter 82. The present invention provides that the slots 88 support a) mounting a single ingot for cutting a single ingot 58, b) ridge 90 of a double adapter 82 for cutting two ingots, c) Provides flexibility configured to accommodate any one of the ridges 90 of the triple adapter 84 for cutting three ingots.

Within the scope of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention, other adapters including different structures or structures for accommodating four or more series of ingots may be used.

A third embodiment of the invention is schematically shown at reference numeral 100 in FIGS. 8 and 9. The third embodiment 100 has a central support (indicated by reference numeral 102) configured to prevent the wire web 30 from bending when the wire web 30 contacts the one or more ingots 14. The central support 102 comprises at least one obstacle that prevents the wire from bending vertically, which is preferably fixed relative to the roller 22 of the cutting head 16. The central support 102 is generally disposed within the interior of the rectangle defined by the wire web 30 and adjacent to the wire web on opposite sides of the wire web from the ingot 14. The central support 102 has a conventional vertical member 104 attached to the platform 106. The platform 106 is preferably mounted on a common support frame 24.

The central support 102 has an upper end 103 suitable for allowing the wire 18 to engage with it like a number of rollers, which extends over the full width of the wire web 30. The dual adapter 82 is provided with a single vertical member 104 (FIG. 8) and the triple adapter 84 is provided with two vertical members 104 (FIG. 9). Each central support 102 is arranged to be approximately equally spaced between the two ingots 14. When ingot support 12 moves downward so that one or more ingots abut the wire web 30, the web is curved until it abuts the central support 102. The wire 18 no longer bends where it is in contact with the central support 102. The central support may have different structures, including other types of obstacles or not using the vertical member 104, without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.

The problem when there is no central support 102 as in the first embodiment is that the yield of the wafer is adversely reduced when two (or three) ingots cut at the same time have different lengths. If there are two ingots arranged side by side and the lengths of these ingots are not really the same, at least some lengths of the wire 18 are in contact with one ingot and the other lengths of the wire are in contact with the two ingots. As shown schematically in FIG. 10, the length 110 of the wire abuts one ingot, and the length 112 of the wire abuts two ingots. The spacing between adjacent lengths of the wire is shown enlarged in FIG. 10. Lengths 110 and 112 in the wire have different deflection patterns and different tensions. Wafers cut from long ingots by the richness of the wire in the transition region where the wire tension changes are not easy to cut, resulting in warpage or poor wafer quality. As a result, as shown in Fig. 11, the operation of cutting only ingots having substantially the same length or multiple ingot pairs having substantially the same length must be performed.

The combination of ingot lengths shown in FIGS. 11-14 does not lower the yield, whereas the combination of FIG. 10 results in lower yield. In the combination of FIG. 10, the long ingot extends beyond the point where the short ingot ends and there is no longer another ingot. In contrast, in the combination of FIGS. 11-14, there are no long ingots extending beyond the transition region near the end of the short ingot. Therefore, there are no wafers cut from long ingots affected by different wire tensions. In FIG. 14, the joining of two ingots with different lengths must be cut using a scrap rod 114. This scrap rod 114 must have the same outer diameter as the thinly cut ingot 14 and must extend at least to the full length of the long ingot. The scrap rod 114 need not be silicon and may be made of different materials. Scrap rods provide a uniform deflection of the wire over the entire length of the long ingot.

The central support 102 prevents this problem by suppressing the influence of the ingot length on the wire tension. Since the central support 102 extends over the entire width of the wire web 30, all the reach abuts the central support. As a result, locally uniform deflections and tensions are generated to maintain low warpage and high yield of uniform cuts. The central support enables the operation of simultaneously cutting thin ingots of various lengths, as shown in FIG.

In operation, the wire saw 10 of the present invention cuts at least two ordinary cylindrical semiconductor ingots 14 into thin wafers at the same time. First, each ingot is attached to the mounting beam 52 by a suitable epoxy. In a conventional method this can be done using a separation device, which uses x-rays to precisely align the crystal plane of the ingot with respect to the mounting beam within a small tolerance range. The mounting beam is attached to the dove tailed support 58 and is fixed to the ingot support 12 by inserting the dove tailed support in the slot 60 and locking it with a clamp. The ingot 14 is automatically placed at the position where it meets the cutting web 30, and the longitudinal axis of the ingot is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire. If the adapter 82 or 84 of the second embodiment 80 is used, two or three mounting beams are fixed to the adapter, and then the adapter 82 by fixing the ridge 90 in the slot 88. Is attached to the head 86. The ingot support 12 moves towards the cutting web such that the ingots simultaneously press the cutting web in the cutting area in contact with the wire. The liquid slurry is administered from the nozzles 34, 36, 38 to the wire web at a location that includes two sides of each ingot. If a laminated structure is used, additional ingots and mounting beams are generally aligned and attached to the first mounting beam before being attached to the ingot support.

The apparatus of the present invention can be configured to facilitate cutting a single 300 mm diameter ingot, 1-4 150 mm diameter ingots, or 1-6 100 mm diameter ingots. Since two ingots of side-by-side arrangement can be cut, productivity is doubled than with the previous wire saw, and the flatness and quality of the wafer are maintained at the same level.

In view of the above description, it is confirmed that many objects of the present invention can be achieved and other advantages can be obtained.

When adopting a component in the present invention or its preferred embodiment, the terms "comprise", "have", "include" and the like are intended to mean that there may be additional components other than the components not listed. do.

delete

Claims (15)

A wire saw for cutting cylindrical single crystal ingots into wafers, The wire saw, A frame including a cutting head and an ingot support; A cutting head comprising a cutting wire for cutting the ingot and a wire guide roller mounted to the frame to support the wire for longitudinal movement of the wire, the wire being adjacent rollers Supported by the rollers in the livers of the liver, each of the riches comprising a plurality of parallel wire lengths for cutting the ingot into a plurality of wafers, at least one of which has a cutting web ( cutting web)-; And A mounting beam adapted for mounting at least one ingot in registration with the longitudinal axis of the cutting web and an ingot perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire in the cutting web, each adapted to connect an individual ingot ( ingot support comprising mounting beams, a loading platform and an adapter for supporting the mounting beams, wherein the loading platform selectively receives one of the mounting beams for mounting a single ingot to be cut, A receptacle configured to receive the adapter, whereby the receptacle is configured to cut one ingot independent of the adapter and to cut a plurality of ingots using the adapter. The ability to switch between the wire saws between the adapters and the adapter Configured to support a plurality of mounting beams for mounting multiple ingots on the unit; Including; The frame includes the cutting head and the ingot support such that the ingots mounted on the ingot support pass through the cutting web when the wire is driven longitudinally to simultaneously cut the ingots into wafers by the wire. Wire saw, characterized in that the mounting to be relatively movable. The method of claim 1, For four ingots, The adapter is a dual adapter configured to support two mounting beams arranged side by side, a first ingot of the ingots is attached to a first mounting beam of the mounting beams mounted on the adapter, and a first of the ingots. A second ingot is attached to a second mounting beam of the mounting beams mounted on the adapter, a third ingot of the ingots is connected to a third mounting beam mounted on the first ingot, and a first of the ingots 4 The ingot is attached to a fourth mounting beam mounted on the second ingot. The method of claim 1, For six ingots, The adapter is a triple adapter configured to support three mounting beams arranged side by side, a first ingot of the ingots is attached to a first mounting beam of the mounting beams mounted on the adapter, and a first of the ingots. 2 an ingot is attached to a second of the mounting beams mounted on the adapter, a third of the ingots is attached to a third of the mounting beams mounted on the adapter, the ingots A fourth ingot is attached to a fourth mounting beam mounted on the first ingot, a fifth ingot of the ingots is connected to a fifth mounting beam mounted on the second ingot, and a first of the ingots A sixth ingot attached to a sixth mounting beam mounted on the third ingot. The method of claim 1, And a slurry conveying system having nozzles arranged to dispense slurry at said side of each mounting beam along said wire web at a separate location. The method of claim 4, wherein Two bars extending from at least one of said nozzles, each of said bars extending from an end position of said at least one nozzle, said bar defining the edge of the slurry curtain being administered; Wire saw further comprising a. The method of claim 1, And a central support configured to contact the cutting web to prevent bending of the cutting web when in contact with the ingots. Simultaneously cutting at least two cylindrical semiconductor ingots into wafers using a wire saw comprising a movable cutting wire arranged in parallel recesses between guide rollers. To at least one of the riches defines a cutting web and the wire is suitable for cutting the semiconductor ingot. Mounting the ingots to a common ingot support such that the ingots are perpendicularly aligned with the cutting web and the longitudinal direction of the wire in the cutting web and aligned in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the ingot which is parallel and not coaxial, wherein the ingot support is at least two. Two mounting beams, a loading platform and an adapter, each of the mounting beams for connecting individual ingots, the adapter for supporting the mounting beams, and the platform receiving and cutting the adapter A receptacle for receiving one of the mounting beams independent of the adapter for mounting an ingot; Moving the ingot support relative to the cutting web such that the at least two ingots simultaneously press the cutting web in a cutting area where the at least two ingots contact the wire web; Administering a liquid slurry to at least three locations on said wire web, said location comprising one location between each of said ingot pairs and the outermost of two of said ingot cutting regions; And Detaching the adapter from the receptacle of the ingot support to cut at least one additional ingot and installing a second adapter or one mounting beam independent of the adapter in the receptacle Ingot cutting process using a wire saw comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein And further cooling said slurry to a uniform temperature of about 25 ° C. or less prior to administration of the slurry. The method of claim 7, wherein Stacking and mounting at least two ingots, And said at least two ingots are parallel and disposed closer to said cutting web than a second ingot in which a first ingot is stacked. The method of claim 7, wherein The at least two ingots have different lengths, Mounting a scrap rod on the ingot support, wherein the scrap rod is aligned with the shorter ingot of the ingots, and the coupling length between the shorter ingot and the scrap rod is at least as long as the ingot. Ingot cutting process using a wire saw, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 7, wherein Preventing movement of the cutting web caused by the step of moving the ingot support to press the ingots with respect to the cutting web to prevent deflection of the web. Ingot cutting process using a wire saw. A wire saw for cutting cylindrical single crystal ingots into wafers, A frame comprising a cutting head and an ingot support; A cutting head comprising a cutting wire for cutting an ingot and a wire guide roller mounted to the frame to support the wire against longitudinal movement of the wire, the wire being supported by the roller in the riches between adjacent rollers. Each of the riches includes a plurality of parallel wires for cutting the ingot into a plurality of wafers, at least one of the riches defining a cutting web; An ingot support for fitting the ingot to the cutting web; And Slurry delivery system comprising at least one nozzle disposed to dispense a slurry along the wire web, the nozzle extending downward from the nozzle to prevent adhesion of the slurry as the slurry falls down from the nozzle Having a surface bound slurry- Including; The cutting head and the ingot support may move relatively such that the ingot mounted on the ingot support passes through the cutting web when the wire is driven longitudinally to cut the ingot into wafers by the wire. And a wire saw mounted on said frame. The method of claim 12, Said slurry adhesive side comprises two bars, each bar extending from a position at the end of said nozzle, said bars defining the edge of the slurry curtain being administered. A wire saw for cutting cylindrical single crystal ingots into wafers, A frame comprising a cutting head and an ingot support; A cutting head comprising a cutting wire for cutting an ingot and a wire guide roller mounted to the frame to support the wire for longitudinal movement of the wire, the wire being the rollers in the riches between adjacent rollers. Supported by, each of the riches comprising a plurality of parallel wires for cutting the ingot into a plurality of wafers, at least one of the riches defining a cutting web; And An ingot support for fitting the ingot to the cutting web; And At least one obstacle configured to contact the cutting web in a fixed position relative to the wire guide roller to prevent the cutting web from bending when the cutting web contacts the ingot. Including; The cutting head and the ingot support may move relatively so that the ingot mounted on the ingot support passes through the cutting web when the wire is driven in the longitudinal direction to cut the ingot into a wafer by the wire. A wire saw mounted to said frame. The method of claim 1, Wherein said ingot support mounts at least two ingots in a longitudinal axis of said ingots that are parallel and not coaxial.

Images