INVESTIGATION OF SILICON WAFERING BY WIRE EDM

The new technology of silicon wafering by wire electrodischarge machining (EDM) was investigated to determine its mechanism of current-conducting and material removal. Target materials were n-type single-crystal silicon ingots with the resistivity of 7-15 cmOMEGA. It was found that the surface potential barrier of the semiconductors had a dominating effect on EDM cutting speed. Technological experiments were performed to determine the correlation between cutting speed and machining parameters. The machined surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer to test the surface finish and surface impurity. The results obtained show that the technique is effective for silicon wafering.