Wire shape adjusting device and wire sawing equipment comprising same

Abstract

Disclosed is a wire rod shape adjustment device, comprising: a wire rod penetration part provided with a through hole formed in a central region thereof; a main body configured such that the wire penetration portion is inserted therein; and a plurality of deflection units configured to penetrate through the main body from an outer side of the main body and to be in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the wire penetration portion.

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0160776, filed on November 20, 2023, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. BACKGROUND ART TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a wire shape adjusting device and a wire sawing apparatus including the wire shape adjusting device, and more particularly, to a wire shape adjusting device for preventing uneven wear of a wire in a slicing process of slicing an ingot using the wire and a wire sawing apparatus including the wire shape adjusting device to prevent deterioration of the quality of the ingot. Discussion of Related Art

[0003] Single crystal ingots are generally grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method. In this method, polysilicon is melted in a crucible in a chamber, a seed crystal as a small piece of single crystal is immersed in the molten silicon, and the seed crystal is slowly raised to grow into a single crystal ingot (hereinafter referred to as an ingot) having a desired diameter.

[0004] The manufacturing process of silicon wafers includes: a single crystal growth process to produce an ingot using the above method; a slicing process to obtain a thin disk-shaped wafer by slicing the ingot; an edge grinding process to process the edge of the wafer obtained by the slicing process to prevent cracking and distortion of the wafer; a lapping process to improve the flatness of the wafer by removing damage caused by machining remaining on the wafer; a polishing process to give the wafer a mirror-like surface; and a cleaning process to remove abrasives or foreign substances from the polished wafer.

[0005] There are various types of slicing processes for slicing an ingot into wafers. That is, an outer diameter sawing (ODS) method of slicing an ingot into wafers by fixing diamond grains to the outer periphery of a thin plate, an inner diameter sawing (IDS) method of slicing an ingot into wafers by fixing diamond grains to an annular thin plate, and a wire sawing method in which an ingot is sliced into wafers by spraying a paste on a wire while rotating the wire at high speed and frictionally cutting the ingot with the paste on the wire.

[0006] Among these methods, the wire sawing method is currently widely used because it can slice an ingot into multiple wafers at the same time, thereby increasing the production per unit time.

[0007] However, the conventional wire sawing apparatus used in the above wire sawing method has the following problems.

[0008] When slicing an ingot using a wire, the ingot is sawed and sliced by the paste on the wire, and at the same time, the wire may be worn by the paste. Here, asFigure 1A As shown, when performing a wire sawing process on the surface of a wire formed of iron (Fe) and carbon (C) with copper (Cu) plated thereon, the copper on the wire surface is removed, and uneven wear may occur, that is, the wire wears only in some directions, such as Figure 1B shown.

[0009] In addition, such uneven wear of the wire may cause deterioration in the quality of the ingots sawn from the wire. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to a wire shape adjusting device and a wire sawing apparatus including the wire shape adjusting device, which substantially eliminate one or more problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.

[0011] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a wire shape adjusting device and a wire sawing apparatus including the wire shape adjusting device that prevent uneven wear of a wire during sawing of an ingot.

[0012] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present disclosure, as embodied and generally described herein, the wire shape adjusting device includes: a wire penetration portion having a through hole formed in a central region; a main body configured such that the wire penetration portion is inserted therein; and a plurality of deflection units configured to penetrate the main body from the outside of the main body and contact an outer peripheral surface of the wire penetration portion.

[0013] The through hole may include a first portion located in an inner region of the through hole and second portions located on both sides of the first portion, and a width of an entrance of the first portion may be greater than a width of an exit of the first portion.

[0014] Among the second portions, the second portion adjacent to the entrance of the first portion is inclined 3 to 5 degrees (°) with respect to a slope of the first portion, and a width of an entrance of the second portion may be greater than a width of an exit of the second portion.

[0015] Among the second portions, the second portion adjacent to the exit of the first portion is inclined 10 degrees (°) or more with respect to a slope of the first portion, and a width of an exit of the second portion may be greater than a width of an entrance of the second portion.

[0016] The outer peripheral surface of the wire penetration portion and the outer peripheral surface of the main body may be circular, first to nth holes may be formed in the main body, and the plurality of deflection units may respectively pass through the first to nth holes.

[0017] Inner surfaces of the first to nth holes may be nut-shaped, while outer surfaces of the plurality of deflection units may be bolt-shaped.

[0018] A plurality of skew units can be inserted into the first to nth holes at different depths respectively.

[0019] The wire shape adjusting device may further include a first alignment roller and a second alignment roller respectively provided in the inlet direction and the outlet direction of the wire passing portion.

[0020] In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wire sawing device, which includes: a plurality of main rollers configured to wind and rotate a wire; a first bobbin configured to supply the wire to the plurality of main rollers; a second bobbin configured to receive the supplied wire from the plurality of main rollers; and the above-mentioned wire shape adjusting device provided between the plurality of main rollers and the second bobbin.

[0021] The plurality of main rollers may include a first main roller and a second main roller located in the upper region, and a third roller located in the lower region, and the wire sawing device may further include a paste nozzle provided above the first main roller and the second main roller. Description of the Drawings

[0022] The drawings included herein are provided to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and show the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure and, together with the description, are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1A is a view showing a starting wire with a copper-plated surface;

[0024] Figure 1B is a view showing a wire with uneven wear after the wire sawing process;

[0025] Figure 2 is a view showing a wire sawing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a top view of the shown wire shape adjusting device;

[0027] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a detailed view of region A of; and

[0028] Figure 5 is Figure 3 a cross-sectional view of the wire shape adjusting device of. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings to specifically describe the present disclosure and facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure.

[0030] However, embodiments of the present disclosure can be modified in various ways and implemented in various different forms, and it is understood that the scope of the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. The embodiments of the present disclosure are provided to make the description of the present disclosure more thorough and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0031] In addition, when relative terms such as "first", "second", "below", "lower", "above", "upper", etc. are used herein, there is not necessarily any physical or logical relationship required or implied between the substances or elements denoted by the terms, nor is there necessarily any requirement or implication regarding their order or sequence, and they can be used only to distinguish one substance or element from another.

[0032] A wire sawing apparatus including a wire shape adjusting device according to the present disclosure moves the wire when the wire is wound around a rotating main roller, and causes the wire to pass through the wire shape adjusting device after sawing an ingot, thereby reducing the stress applied to the wire and thus preventing uneven wear of the wire.

[0033] Figure 2 is a view showing a wire sawing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 2 describe a wire sawing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] A wire sawing apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a plurality of main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c configured to wind and rotate a wire; a first bobbin 100 configured to supply the wire to the plurality of main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c; a second bobbin 110 configured to receive the supplied wire from the plurality of main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c; and a wire shape adjusting device 300 provided between the plurality of main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c and the second bobbin 110.

[0035] The plurality of main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c may include a first main roller 500a and a second main roller 500b located in an upper region, and a third roller 500c located in a lower region, and a paste nozzle may be provided above the first main roller 500a and the second main roller 500b.

[0036] Figure 2 The operation of the shown wire sawing apparatus will be described as follows.

[0037] The wire wound around the first bobbin 100 can be redirected by the first roller 200 and then can move toward the main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c. The first to third main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c can rotate in the same direction, and the wire can be rotated by the first to third main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c. At the same time, the ingot stopper can be lowered and can be sawn by the wire to be cut into single wafers. However, in the wire sawing process, the ingot stopper does not separate into one wafer, and multiple sawn wafers can be in a state fixed to the stopper. Here, the shape of the ingot stopper can be the shape of an ingot grown by the CZ method cut to a predetermined size.

[0038] During the sawing operation of the ingot stopper by the wire, the wire from the first roller 100 can be wound around the rotating first to third main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c to saw the ingot stopper, and then can be wound around the second bobbin 110 via the second roller 210 and the wire shape adjusting device 300. At the same time, by repeating the operation of winding the wire in the direction of the arrow indicated by the dotted line (wire in → wire out) at a first length of, for example, 100 cm and then winding the wire in the opposite direction at a second length of, for example, 50 cm, the wire can continue to saw the ingot stopper. In the above process of winding the wire in the opposite direction, the first to third main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c can also rotate Figure 2 in the opposite direction of the rotation direction shown by the arrow indicated by the solid line, that is, in the counterclockwise direction.

[0039] The direction of the wire moving from the first to third main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c toward the second bobbin 110 can be redirected by the second roller 210, as Figure 2 shown.

[0040] Here, when the wire continues to saw the ingot stopper while moving in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions repeatedly, the wire is subjected to a force in the direction of adhering to the ingot stopper, and it is worn only in one direction and may thus be unevenly worn, as Figure 1B shown.

[0041] The wire shape adjusting device 300 can be used to prevent uneven wear of the wire so as to allow the wire to continue to be used.

[0042] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a top view of the wire shape adjusting device shown, Figure 4 is Figure 3 a detailed view of area A of Figure 5 is Figure 3 a cross-sectional view of the wire shape adjusting device. In the following, reference will be made toFigures 3 to 5 Describe a wire shape adjusting device.

[0043] In Figure 2 As shown in the area indicated by the dashed line, a first alignment roller 220 and a second alignment roller 230 are shown. The first alignment roller 220 and the second alignment roller 230 can adjust the height of the wire introduced into and drawn out of the wire shape adjusting device 300 to allow the wire to be precisely inserted into the through hole 320 of the wire shape adjusting device 300, which will be described later. The wire shape adjusting device 300 may include a wire penetrating portion 310, a main body 330, and a plurality of skew units 341 to 344. A through hole 320 is formed in the central area of the wire penetrating portion 310. The wire penetrating portion 310 is inserted into the main body 330, and the plurality of skew units 341 to 344 penetrate through the main body 330 from the outside of the main body 330 and contact the outer peripheral surface of the wire penetrating portion 310.

[0044] The through hole 320 of the wire penetrating portion 310 may be a space into which the wire is inserted. The wire penetrating portion 310 may be inserted into the main body 330, and the outer peripheral surface of the wire penetrating portion 310 may be spaced apart from the inner peripheral surface of the main body 330. In addition, four skew units 341 to 344 penetrate through the outer peripheral surface of the main body 330 and contact the outer peripheral surface of the wire penetrating portion 310.

[0045] The four skew units 341 to 344 may be provided at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock positions based on the through hole 320, and the skew units 341 to 344 may be rotated and fastened to the holes provided in the main body 330.

[0046] In Figure 3 As shown, the outer peripheral surface of the wire penetrating portion 310 and the outer peripheral surface of the main body 330 may be circular. First to nth holes (n = 4) may be formed in the main body 330 at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock positions based on the through hole 320, and the plurality of skew units 341 to 344 may respectively pass through the first to nth holes.

[0047] The inner surfaces of the first to nth holes formed in the main body 330 may be nut-shaped, while the outer surfaces of the plurality of skew units 341 to 344 may be bolt-shaped.

[0048] In addition, since the depth at which the skew units 341 to 344 rotate and are fastened to the first to nth holes can vary, when the skew units 341 to 344 are inserted into the corresponding holes at different depths, the position of the through hole 320 can be adjusted so that it deviates from the center of the main body 330.

[0049] Refer to Figure 5, the through hole 320 formed in the wire penetration portion 310 of the wire shape adjusting device 300 does not have a constant diameter. Specifically, the through hole 320 may include a first portion (a) located in the inner region of the through hole 320, and second and third portions (b) and (c) located on both sides of the first portion (a). Specifically, the first portion (a), the second portion (b), and the third portion (c) refer to the inner surface of the through hole 320.

[0050] In Figure 5 , the left side may be the side where the wire is introduced from the main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c. The left side of the through hole may be referred to as the entrance of the through hole, and the right side of the through hole may be referred to as the exit of the through hole.

[0051] The first portion (a) of the through hole is formed to be inclined with respect to the central axis, and specifically, it may be inclined such that the width of the entrance of the first portion (a) is greater than the width of the exit of the first portion (a). Thus, when the wire is inserted from the entrance into the first portion (a) of the through hole, the wire may not touch the first portion (a) and thus may not be worn.

[0052] In addition, the second portion (b) adjacent to the first portion (a) is inclined 3 to 5 degrees (°) with respect to the slope of the first portion (a), and the width of the entrance of the second portion (b) may be greater than the width of the exit of the second portion (b). That is, the first angle θ1 formed by the first portion (a) and the second portion (b) may be 3 to 5 degrees (°). This structure enables the wire to more easily pass through the second portion (b) and be inserted into the first portion (a) when the wire is inserted from the entrance of the first portion (a) into the first portion (a) of the through hole.

[0053] Furthermore, the third portion (c) adjacent to the first portion (a) is inclined 10 degrees (°) or more with respect to the slope of the first portion (a), and the width of the exit of the third portion (c) may be greater than the width of the entrance of the third portion (c). That is, the second angle θ2 formed by the first portion (a) and the third portion (c) may be 10 degrees (°) or more. This structure enables the wire to more easily escape from the first portion (a) which has a relatively narrower width compared to the third portion (c) within the through hole.

[0054] When using the above-mentioned wire shape adjusting device 300 and the wire sawing equipment 1000 including the wire shape adjusting device 300 to saw an ingot into wafers, the wire wound around the main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c can have the characteristic of being wound into a circle. This characteristic of the wire being wound into a circle can be defined as the free winding diameter (FCD). For example, the free winding diameter refers to the diameter of the virtual circle formed when the wire is thrown. In this case, when the wire is straight and not wound into a circle, the free winding diameter can be infinite, and theoretically, an infinite free winding diameter might be optimal.

[0055] As the wire continues to be sawed, the wire continues to move and winds around the main rollers 500a, 500b, and 500c in the first and second directions, so the free winding diameter gradually becomes smaller.

[0056] Meanwhile, the wire is inserted into the above-mentioned wire shape adjusting device 300, and in this case, the wire can be precisely inserted into the through-hole 320 of the wire shape adjusting device 300 through the operation of the alignment rollers 220 and 230, so the wire can be precisely inserted into the first part (a) through the second part (b) of the through-hole 320. In addition, the diameter of the first part (a) of the through-hole 320 is almost equal to the diameter of the wire. Thus, when the wire passes through the first part (a) of the through-hole 320, the wire with a reduced free winding diameter is straightened, and the free winding diameter of the wire thus increases. For this purpose, the wire penetration part 310 can be formed of a material that is not damaged by friction with the wire in the first part (a) of the through-hole 320, such as tungsten.

[0057] Due to this operation of the wire shape adjusting device 300, the free winding diameter of the wire increases, improving the characteristic of the wire being wound to one side, and thus warping of the wire can be suppressed.

[0058] In addition, specifically, the first part (a) of the through-hole 320 of the wire penetration part 310 presses against the peripheral edge of the wire, applying a force to the wire so that the cross-section of the wire becomes circular, and thus uneven wear of the wire can be reduced. Therefore, when sawing the ingot stopper, deterioration of the quality of the cut wafers can be prevented.

[0059] It is obvious from the above description that according to the wire shape adjusting device and the wire sawing equipment including the wire shape adjusting device of the present disclosure, through the operation of the alignment rollers and the skew unit, the wire can be precisely inserted into the through-hole of the wire penetration part to increase the free winding diameter of the wire and reduce the uneven wear of the wire. And thus, when sawing the ingot stopper with the wire, deterioration of the quality of the cut wafers can be prevented.

[0060] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and variations that can be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the embodiments. Therefore, it can be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is not defined by the detailed description, but by the claims and their equivalents, and all variations within the scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A wire shape adjustment device, comprising: a wire-through portion, the wire-through portion being provided with a through hole formed in a central region thereof; a main body configured so that the wire through-portion is inserted into the main body; as well as A plurality of deflecting units are configured to penetrate the main body from the outside of the main body and contact the outer peripheral surface of the wire passing portion.

2. The wire shape adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through hole includes a first portion located in an inner region of the through hole, and second portions located on both sides of the first portion, Wherein, the width of the inlet of the first part is greater than the width of the outlet of the first part.

3. The wire shape adjustment device according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the second portion, a second portion adjacent to an inlet of the first portion is inclined by 3 to 5 degrees relative to a slope of the first portion, and a width of an inlet of the second portion is greater than a width of an outlet of the second portion.

4. The wire shape adjustment device according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the second portion, a second portion adjacent to an outlet of the first portion is inclined 10 degrees or more relative to a slope of the first portion, and a width of the outlet of the second portion is greater than a width of an inlet of the second portion.

5. The wire shape adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer peripheral surface of the wire passing portion and the outer peripheral surface of the main body are circular; and First to n-th holes are formed in the body, and the plurality of deflecting units pass through the first to n-th holes, respectively.

6. The wire shape adjustment device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Inner surfaces of the first to n-th holes are nut-shaped, and outer surfaces of the plurality of deflecting units are bolt-shaped.

7. The wire shape adjustment device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The plurality of deflecting units are respectively inserted into the first to n-th holes at different depths.

8. The wire shape adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes a first alignment roller and a second alignment roller which are respectively arranged along the inlet direction and the outlet direction of the wire through-portion.

9. A wire sawing device, comprising: a plurality of main rollers configured to wind and rotate the wire; a first wire drum configured to supply the wire to the plurality of main rollers; a second wire drum configured to receive the wire supplied from the plurality of main rollers; According to the wire shape adjusting device according to claims 1 to 8, the wire shape adjusting device is arranged between the plurality of main rollers and the second wire barrel.

10. The wire sawing device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The plurality of main rollers include a first main roller and a second main roller located in an upper region, and a third roller located in a lower region; and The wire sawing device also includes a paste nozzle arranged above the first main roller and the second main roller.

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