Effect of slurry parameters on material removal rate in multi-wire sawing of silicon wafers: a tribological approach

The main goals for the silicon wafering industry are to improve the surface quality of wafers by reducing the total thickness variation and subsurface defects and to increase the production by reducing the wafer thickness. To attain these goals, it is important to understand the material removal mechanisms involved in the process, which at the moment are little understood and explored. In this study, the effect of slurry parameters on the wear rate and surface roughness of solar grade silicon have been investigated using a tribological approach. A reciprocating pin-on-plate tribometer has been used to simulate the abrasion process occurring in a slurry-based multi-wire silicon saw. The tribological system consisted of silicon, SiC slurry, and stainless steel counterpart. The results showed that a narrow size distribution of the SiC particles in the slurry increases the wear rate and improves the surface quality. The shape factors of the SiC particles in the slurry were also investigated and revealed that particles with lower degree circularity and higher aspect ratio led to lower roughness.