Silicon carbide processing apparatus
By setting up a rod-cutting space and a slotting structure in the silicon carbide processing equipment, combined with multi-degree-of-freedom sliding pairs and adjustment components, the problems of wire breakage and low efficiency in silicon carbide processing have been solved, achieving high yield and high efficiency in silicon carbide processing.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- NINGBO HOSHINE NEW MATERIALS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-31
AI Technical Summary
In the existing technology, silicon carbide processing suffers from frequent wire breakage, low processing efficiency, and low yield, mainly due to the high hardness and brittleness of silicon carbide.
A silicon carbide processing device was designed, which adopts a slotting space and a uniformly distributed groove structure on the side wall of the cutting end face of the processing cutter. Combined with multi-degree-of-freedom sliding pairs and adjustment components, the stability and accuracy of the processing process are ensured. Ceramic or resin material plates are used to avoid direct contact, and laser positioning components are used to improve processing accuracy.
It effectively disperses cutting stress, reduces chip friction, improves the yield and efficiency of silicon carbide machining, ensures the straightness of the machining path and repeatability, and reduces tool wear and vibration effects.
Smart Images
Figure CN224575924U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of materials processing technology, and more specifically to a silicon carbide processing apparatus. Background Technology
[0002] As a major representative of third-generation semiconductor materials, silicon carbide has advantages such as a large bandgap, a large critical breakdown electric field, high thermal conductivity, high electron saturation drift velocity, high electron mobility, and stable chemical properties. It has played an important role in many fields of modern industry and has broad application prospects and huge market potential.
[0003] However, silicon carbide is characterized by high hardness, high brittleness, and strong corrosion resistance, making it extremely sensitive to mechanical forces. Related technologies use single-wire cutting machines with rotating broaches for cutting, and diamond wire cutting machines to slice the ingots, which are then processed into substrates using grinding and polishing machines. However, processing silicon carbide ingots with a single diamond wire running back and forth is challenging due to the high hardness and brittleness of silicon carbide. This leads to a decrease in the performance of the slicing wire, resulting in wire breakage and the amplification of crystal defects during processing. Therefore, ensuring high yield and high efficiency in silicon carbide processing remains a significant challenge. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a silicon carbide processing apparatus to improve the yield and processing efficiency of silicon carbide processing.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted in this application is as follows: a silicon carbide processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a frame and a base, the frame and the base being connected; a material plate, the material plate being connected to the base, the material plate being used to place and fix the ingot to be processed; a processing blade, the processing blade being connected to the frame, the cutting side end face of the processing blade having a hollowing space in the center area, and the side wall of the processing blade on the cutting side having uniformly distributed slots to form a toothed cutting edge, the frame driving the processing blade to feed, thereby performing hollowing processing on the ingot to be processed through the processing blade.
[0006] As a preferred embodiment, the depth of the hollowing space is greater than the thickness of the ingot to be processed.
[0007] As a preferred embodiment, the material plate and the ingot to be processed are fixedly connected by a reinforcement device.
[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the base further includes a worktable and a base, the worktable having a first end and a second end, the first end being fixedly connected to the material plate; the second end being connected to the base via a multi-degree-of-freedom sliding pair, so that the worktable can move relative to the base in at least one translational degree of freedom.
[0009] As another preferred embodiment, the multi-free sliding pair includes a tracked transmission assembly, which is mounted on the base along the X-axis, and the worktable is fixedly connected to the tracked transmission assembly; wherein the worktable can move continuously along the X-axis as the tracked transmission assembly circulates.
[0010] As another preferred embodiment, the multi-free sliding pair further includes a slide rail, which is fixedly connected to the tracked transmission assembly. The worktable is movably connected to the slide rail, and the slide rail is placed on the tracked transmission assembly along the Y-axis, thereby allowing the worktable to move continuously along the slide rail in the Y-axis direction.
[0011] Further preferably, the silicon carbide processing apparatus further includes an adjustment component, through which the processing cutter is connected to the frame, and the feed stroke of the processing cutter is adjusted by the adjustment component.
[0012] Further preferably, the adjustment assembly includes a drive motor, a connecting rod, and a first adjustment member. The drive motor is connected to the frame, and the first adjustment member is disposed near the frame. One end of the first adjustment member is connected to the frame, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod. The drive motor drives the first adjustment member to adjust the feed stroke of the connecting rod relative to the frame.
[0013] Further preferably, the adjustment assembly further includes a second adjustment member, which is disposed near the side of the machining cutter. One end of the second adjustment member is connected to the machining cutter, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod, so as to adjust the feed distance of the machining cutter relative to the connecting rod by driving the second adjustment member through the drive motor.
[0014] Preferably, the silicon carbide processing apparatus further includes: a positioning component, which is disposed on the outer wall of the processing cutter. The positioning component has a built-in laser emitting module to emit laser light and project it onto the surface of the ingot to be processed, thereby calibrating the feed position of the processing cutter relative to the ingot to be processed.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows:
[0016] The cutting end face of the cutting tool is equipped with a recessed groove in the center area, which effectively disperses the concentrated stress in the contact area between the tool and the ingot during the machining of high-hardness materials. This avoids ingot cracking or tool chipping caused by excessive local pressure. At the same time, the chip space formed by the groove can temporarily accommodate cutting chips, reducing the risk of secondary friction from chips scratching the machined surface, thereby improving the surface finish of the ingot. Secondly, the uniformly distributed slotted structure on the side wall of the cutting tool forms a periodic toothed cutting edge. This not only reduces the single-point cutting force and extends tool life through the synergistic effect of multiple edges, but also uses the groove structure to forcibly guide chips, preventing tool jamming or machining path deviation caused by chip accumulation. Combined with the stable feed motion of the tool driven by the frame, the straightness and repeatability of the chip removal path are ensured, thereby improving the yield of silicon carbide machining. In addition, the added material plate avoids direct contact between the ingot to be processed and the rigid base. The material plate is preferably made of ceramic or resin material, which facilitates the bonding and subsequent separation of the silicon carbide ingot to be processed. At the same time, it can effectively suppress the transmission of vibration during the processing and ensure the processing efficiency of silicon carbide. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a silicon carbide processing device;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram showing the location of the machining tool.
[0019] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the base location;
[0020] Figure 4 This is a side view of the structure of the silicon carbide processing equipment.
[0021] Figure 5 A top-down view of the base position of the silicon carbide processing device;
[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the machining tool from another perspective.
[0023] In the diagram: 1. Silicon carbide processing device; 2. Ingot to be processed; 10. Frame; 20. Base; 21. Worktable; 22. Base; 23. Multi-free sliding pair; 231. Tracked transmission assembly; 232. Slide rail; 30. Material plate; 40. Processing cutter; 41. Bar-scooping space; 42. Slotting; 50. Adjustment assembly; 51. First adjustment component; 52. Connecting rod; 53. Second adjustment component; 54. Positioning assembly; 55. Adjusting ring; 56. Drive motor; 57. Telescopic rod. Detailed Implementation
[0024] The present application will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the various embodiments or technical features described below can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments.
[0025] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the directional terms such as "center", "lateral", "longitudinal", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", and "counterclockwise" indicate the orientation and positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They should not be construed as limiting the specific protection scope of this application.
[0026] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.
[0027] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification and claims of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or device.
[0028] In a preferred embodiment, see Figures 1 to 6 This application provides a silicon carbide processing apparatus 1, including: a frame 10 and a base 20, the frame 10 and the base 20 being connected; a material plate 30, the material plate 30 being connected to the base 20, the material plate 30 being used to place and fix the ingot 2 to be processed; a processing blade 40, the processing blade 40 being connected to the frame 10, the center area of the end face of the cutting side of the processing blade 40 is provided with a bar-removing space 41, and the side wall of the processing blade 40 on the cutting side is provided with uniformly distributed slots 42 to form a toothed cutting edge, the frame 10 drives the processing blade 40 to feed, and then the processing blade 40 performs bar-removing processing on the ingot 2 to be processed. Compared with laser cutting technology, the ingot requires less edge pre-reserved processing amount to ensure the roundness of the processed crystal.
[0029] The frame 10 is equipped with a drive motor 56, which is electrically connected to each processing component. The drive motor 56 drives the processing cutter 40 to feed and process. The cutting end face of the processing cutter 40 has a hollowing space 41, which is a recessed groove structure. This effectively disperses the concentrated stress in the contact area between the tool and the ingot during the processing of high-hardness materials, avoiding ingot cracking or tool chipping caused by excessive local pressure. At the same time, the chip space formed by the groove can temporarily accommodate cutting chips, reducing the risk of scratches on the processed surface caused by secondary friction of chips, thereby improving the surface finish of the ingot. Secondly, the groove structure, which is evenly distributed with slots 42 on the side wall of the processing cutter 40, forms a periodic toothed cutting edge. This not only reduces the single-point cutting force and extends the tool life through the synergistic effect of multiple blades, but also uses the groove structure to forcibly guide chips, preventing tool jamming or processing path deviation caused by chip accumulation. Combined with the stable feed motion of the tool driven by the frame 10, the straightness and repeatability of the hollowing path are ensured. In addition, the added material plate 30 prevents the ingot 2 to be processed from directly contacting the rigid base 20. The material plate 30 is preferably made of ceramic or resin material, which facilitates the bonding and subsequent separation of the silicon carbide ingot 2 to be processed, and can effectively suppress the transmission of vibration during the processing.
[0030] As a preferred option, the depth of the rod-removing space 41 is greater than the thickness of the ingot 2 to be processed. Specifically, the depth of the rod-removing space 41 ensures that the cutting tool 40 can completely cover the thickness direction of the ingot during the feeding process, so that the rod-removing process forms a continuous cutting path from the upper surface to the lower surface of the ingot, avoiding the formation of unprocessed areas or connecting structures at the bottom of the ingot due to insufficient depth, thereby ensuring the complete separation of the rod-shaped finished product.
[0031] Secondly, the sufficient depth of the gouging space 41 provides a buffer for ingot deformation during processing. Especially in the processing of high-hardness and brittle materials like silicon carbide, this reduces stress concentration caused by the rigid contact between the tool and the bottom of the ingot after the tool has reached its position, preventing the edges or bottom of the ingot from cracking or breaking due to compression, thus improving the yield rate and ensuring the roundness of the processed crystals. Furthermore, when the depth of the gouging space 41 is greater than the ingot thickness, the processed bar can be completely embedded within the gouging space 41, preventing positional displacement or surface scratches caused by hanging or contact with components such as the material plate 30 and the frame 10 during tool retraction. This also facilitates quick and complete removal of the finished product by the operator, reducing auxiliary process time. From the perspective of processing stability, the sufficiently deep gouging space 41 ensures that the cutting force is uniformly transmitted along the ingot thickness direction. Combined with the cutting action of the toothed cutting edge, this makes the entire processing smoother, reducing the risk of tool vibration or displacement caused by sudden changes in local cutting resistance, thereby improving processing accuracy and surface quality.
[0032] As a preferred embodiment, the material plate 30 and the crystal ingot 2 to be processed are fixedly connected by a reinforcement component. Specifically, the reinforcement component is an industrial-grade AB adhesive, and the ratio of A adhesive to B adhesive is 1:1.5 to form an adhesive, thereby improving the connection strength between the material plate 30 and the crystal ingot 2 to be processed.
[0033] As a preferred option, see Figure 5 The base 20 also includes a worktable 21 and a base 22. The worktable 21 includes a first end and a second end. The first end is fixedly connected to the material plate 30. The second end is connected to the base 22 through a multi-degree-of-freedom sliding pair, so that the worktable 21 can move relative to the base 22 in at least one translational degree of freedom.
[0034] Specifically, the multi-free sliding pair 23 includes a tracked transmission assembly 231, so as to... Figure 5 As shown, the tracked transmission assembly 231 is mounted on the base 22 along the X-axis, and the worktable 21 is fixedly connected to the tracked transmission assembly 231. The tracked transmission assembly 231 is operated by the operating table provided on the base 22. The worktable 21 can move continuously along the X-axis with the cyclic movement of the tracked transmission assembly 231, so that the worktable 21 can be conveniently used for tool setting before machining.
[0035] The tracked transmission assembly 231 mainly consists of a motor, a drive wheel, a driven wheel, the track body, and a tensioning device. The drive wheel and the driven wheel are fixed to both ends of the base 22, and the track wraps around the two wheels to form a closed loop. Its outer surface is rigidly connected to the bottom of the worktable 21 by bolts or a slot structure. The base 22 is equipped with a guide rail, and the convex teeth on the inner side of the track mesh with the grooves of the rail to ensure that the track does not shift laterally during movement. At the same time, the tensioning device is used to adjust the tightness of the track to prevent it from loosening and slipping due to long-term use.
[0036] Meanwhile, the multi-free sliding pair 23 also includes a slide rail 232, which is fixedly connected to the crawler-type transmission assembly 231. The worktable 21 is movably connected to the slide rail 232, which is placed on the crawler-type transmission assembly 231 along the Y-axis, allowing the worktable 21 to move continuously along the slide rail 232 in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, both structures, through rigid connection with the crawler-type transmission assembly 231, construct an X / Y-axis two-dimensional motion platform, enabling the worktable 21 to move along the X-axis and precisely adjust its position in the Y-axis direction, achieving flexible positioning of the worktable 21 in three-dimensional space. This ensures that the ingot 2 to be processed is in a precise position before processing. Furthermore, during processing, the worktable 21 can be driven to move, avoiding the edge defects of the ingot through off-center processing, resulting in a crack-free and defect-free ingot, thus ensuring the yield of silicon carbide processing.
[0037] In a further preferred embodiment, the silicon carbide processing apparatus 1 also includes an adjustment component 50, through which the processing blade 40 is connected to the frame 10, and the feed stroke of the processing blade 40 is adjusted by the adjustment component 50.
[0038] Further preferably, the adjustment assembly 50 includes a drive motor 56, a connecting rod 52, and a first adjustment member 51. The drive motor 56 is connected to the frame 10. The first adjustment member 51 is disposed near the side of the frame 10, and one end of the first adjustment member 51 is connected to the frame 10, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod 52. The first adjustment member 51 is driven by the drive motor 56 to adjust the feed stroke of the connecting rod 52 relative to the frame 10.
[0039] Further preferably, the adjustment assembly 50 also includes a second adjustment member 53, which is disposed near the side of the cutting tool 40. One end of the second adjustment member 53 is connected to the cutting tool 40, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod 52, so as to adjust the feed distance of the cutting tool 40 relative to the connecting rod 52 by driving the second adjustment member 53 through the drive motor 56.
[0040] Therefore, specifically, in the adjustment assembly 50 of the silicon carbide processing apparatus 1, the first adjustment component 51, as a macroscopic feed control structure, can be a component with a large stroke adjustment capability, such as a lead screw and nut transmission mechanism or a gear and rack transmission mechanism. Taking the lead screw and nut mechanism as an example, its specific structure typically includes a lead screw support fixedly connected to the frame 10, a lead screw that passes through the support and is driven to rotate by the drive motor 56, and a nut seat that cooperates with the lead screw and can move axially. The other end of the nut seat is fixedly connected to the connecting rod 52. When the drive motor 56 drives the lead screw to rotate, the nut seat converts the motion into linear motion through the threaded pair, thereby driving the connecting rod 52 to adjust the feed stroke relative to the frame 10 within a centimeter range, meeting the high-efficiency movement requirements of the processing tool 40 during rough positioning or large-range feeding.
[0041] The second adjusting component 53, located near the cutting tool 40, can employ a precision lead screw, micro-screw, or high-precision linear guide combined with a servo motor to achieve millimeter-level or even sub-millimeter-level fine feed control. During critical stages of ingot cutting, such as when penetrating the ingot surface or approaching the critical cutting depth, the second adjusting component 53 fine-tunes the tool position, precisely controlling the cutting depth and preventing ingot breakage or dimensional deviations due to excessive feed. This meets the stringent requirements for machining accuracy imposed by the high hardness and brittleness of silicon carbide materials.
[0042] Therefore, the silicon carbide processing apparatus 1 in this application provides a dual adjustment structure, separating large-range motion from fine control, avoiding the problems of insufficient rigidity or control error that may occur when a single adjustment mechanism takes into account different precision requirements. The first adjustment component 51 bears the main load and large stroke motion, while the second adjustment component 53 focuses on micro-compensation. The two are rigidly connected by a connecting rod 52, which not only ensures the smoothness of the cutting tool feed during processing, but also reduces the control complexity of the drive motor 56 through graded control, so that the entire adjustment assembly 50 can operate efficiently while having higher positioning accuracy and repeatability.
[0043] Preferably, the silicon carbide processing apparatus 1 further includes: a positioning component 54, which is disposed on the outer wall of the processing cutter 40. The positioning component 54 has a built-in laser emitting module to emit laser light and project it onto the surface of the ingot 2 to be processed. Specifically, it can project a crosshair onto the surface of the ingot to assist in rapid tool setting and calibration of the feed position of the processing cutter 40 relative to the ingot 2 to be processed.
[0044] Furthermore, the frame 10 and the base 20 are connected by a telescopic rod 57, which is a helical rod structure. By adjusting the extension length of the telescopic rod 57, the initial feed position of the cutting tool 40 is determined, thereby adapting to different working conditions. Preferably, the telescopic rod 57 is provided with an adjusting ring 55, which is used to fix the extension amount of the telescopic rod 57. According to the height of the ingot 2 to be processed or the initial installation position of the cutting tool 40, the adjusting ring 55 is loosened, and the nut sleeve or screw is rotated manually or by motor drive (a servo motor can be selected), so that the frame 10 moves up and down along the screw axis until the cutting tool space 41 of the cutting tool 40 is aligned with the area to be processed of the ingot. After adjusting to the target position, the adjusting ring 55 is tightened to fix the relative position of the nut sleeve and the screw, forming a rigid connection, ensuring that the frame 10 will not be displaced due to cutting force or vibration during processing.
[0045] Therefore, the silicon carbide processing apparatus 1 in this application is used to perform a specific processing of silicon carbide ingot 2, as follows: In the preparation stage, the ingot 2 to be processed needs to be inspected with a testing instrument to determine the location of its own defects. Then, the ingot 2 to be processed is bonded to the material plate 30 with a reasonable ratio of AB glue. The processing position is marked with a marker using an arc of the same size to avoid the crystal's own defects during processing. The positioning component 54 is used to perform a tool setting operation to determine the relative position between the ingot 2 to be processed and the processing cutter 40. The multi-free sliding pair 23 is operated to control the worktable 21 to a reasonable tool setting position so that the processing cutter 40 can perform accurate cutting processing. After the tool setting is completed, the processing cutter 40 is driven by the drive motor 56 to perform rod-cutting processing on the ingot 2 to be processed.
[0046] By using the above-mentioned silicon carbide ingot pre-processing steps, the ingot processing dimensions can be set as fixed dimensions to improve the forming and processing efficiency of silicon carbide ingots.
[0047] Furthermore, this embodiment also provides a laser processing method for silicon carbide wafers, using a pulsed laser. Pulsed lasers have very short pulse times and high peak power, causing the irradiated material to be immediately ablated without increasing its temperature. This reduces the impact of surface burns and spatter caused by accumulated heat on the material. Therefore, pulsed lasers are commonly used for precision machining of brittle and hard materials. With a high-quality algorithm, a picosecond laser can be used to replace the cutting tool 40 as the basic device for silicon carbide wafer processing.
[0048] The basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application have been described above. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely the principles of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made to this application without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims. The scope of protection claimed by this application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A silicon carbide processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A frame and a base, wherein the frame and the base are connected; A material plate, which is connected to the base, is used to place and fix the crystal ingot to be processed. The processing cutter is connected to the frame. The center area of the end face of the cutting side of the processing cutter is provided with a bar-removing space, and the side wall of the processing cutter on the cutting side is provided with uniformly distributed slots to form a toothed cutting edge. The frame drives the processing cutter to feed, and then the processing cutter performs bar-removing processing on the ingot to be processed.
2. The silicon carbide processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The depth of the hollowing space is greater than the thickness of the ingot to be processed.
3. The silicon carbide processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The material plate and the ingot to be processed are fixedly connected by reinforcement components.
4. The silicon carbide processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The base also includes: a workbench and a base, the workbench having a first end and a second end, the first end being fixedly connected to the material plate; The second end is connected to the base via a multi-degree-of-freedom sliding joint, so that the worktable can move relative to the base in at least one translational degree of freedom.
5. The silicon carbide processing apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The multi-degree-of-freedom sliding pair includes a tracked transmission assembly, which is mounted on the base along the X-axis, and the worktable is fixedly connected to the tracked transmission assembly. The worktable can move continuously along the X-axis direction in accordance with the cyclic movement of the tracked transmission assembly.
6. The silicon carbide processing apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The multi-degree-of-freedom sliding pair also includes a slide rail, which is fixedly connected to the tracked transmission assembly. The worktable is movably connected to the slide rail, and the slide rail is placed on the tracked transmission assembly along the Y-axis, thereby enabling the worktable to move continuously along the slide rail in the Y-axis direction.
7. The silicon carbide processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The silicon carbide processing apparatus further includes an adjustment component, through which the processing cutter is connected to the frame, and the feed stroke of the processing cutter is adjusted by the adjustment component.
8. The silicon carbide processing apparatus as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly includes a drive motor, a connecting rod, and a first adjustment member. The drive motor is connected to the frame. The first adjustment member is located near the frame, with one end connected to the frame and the other end connected to the connecting rod. The drive motor drives the first adjustment member to adjust the feed stroke of the connecting rod relative to the frame.
9. The silicon carbide processing apparatus as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly further includes a second adjustment member, which is disposed near the side of the machining cutter. One end of the second adjustment member is connected to the machining cutter, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod, so as to adjust the feed distance of the machining cutter relative to the connecting rod by driving the second adjustment member through the drive motor.
10. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the apparatus further comprises a positioning assembly disposed on an outer wall of the machining tool, the positioning assembly having a laser emitting module disposed therein to emit a laser beam to a surface of the ingot to be machined to calibrate a feed position of the machining tool relative to the ingot to be machined.