Disco announces automatic ingot slicer
KABRA!zen laser slicing technology improves throughput by 50 percent
Disco Corporation has developed KABRA!zen, which achieves full-automation of the KABRA process (an ingot slicing method which uses a laser) to speed up throughput by 50 percent.
This equipment enables laser irradiation, wafer separation, fine grinding down to the designated thickness, and grinding of the top surface of the ingot, all unmanned, to accelerate advances in the efficiency of SiC wafer production.
KABRA!zen will be exhibited in SEMICON Japan, held at Tokyo Big Sight from December 13 to 15.
DISCO has already received enquiries from major wafer manufacturing companies and is aiming to ship test equipment within 2018.
By continuously irradiating the laser vertically from the upper surface of the ingot, a separating layer that absorbs light is formed into a flat shape at the desired depth, developing an unprecedented slicing processing method of peeling and forming wafers from this point. KABRA stands for Key Amorphous-Black Repetitive Absorption.
Because the existing KABRA process requires an operator to remount workpieces before each process (including laser irradiation, wafer separation, fine grinding down to the designated thickness, and grinding of the top surface of the ingot), the throughput was affected by the ability of the operator.
Furthermore, it is predicted that there will be an increase in electric power consumption across a wide range of products due to the development of the IoT and the use of electronics in vehicles, and there are expectations for the widespread use of energy-saving power devices which use next generation-materials, such as SiC.
However, in the conventional diamond wire saw ingot slicing method, a low throughput and a large amount of material loss during processing was causing an increase in manufacturing costs.
