A method for slicing a workpiece using a wire saw which includes wire row formed by winding a fixed abrasive grain wire having abrasive grains secured to a surface around a plurality of grooved rollers, the method including feeding a columnar workpiece to wire row for slicing while allowing fixed abrasive grain wire to reciprocate and travel in an axial direction, thereby slicing the workpiece at a plurality of positions aligned in axial direction at same time. After end of slicing the workpiece, the fixed abrasive grain wire is rewound from position at the end of slicing the workpiece by length of or more and or less of the fixed abrasive grain wire fed's length from start of slicing when the workpiece and wire row begin to contact with each other to the end of slicing the workpiece, and then the workpiece is drawn out of wire row.

Semiconductor wafers are produced from a workpiece by means of a wire saw, by feeding the workpiece through an arrangement of wires tensioned between wire guide rollers and divided into wire groups, the wires moving in a running direction producing kerfs as wires engage the workpiece. For each of the wire groups, a placement error of the kerfs of the wire groups determined, and for each of the wire groups compensating movements of the wires of the wire group are induced as a function of the placement error, in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the wires during feeding of the workpiece through the arrangement of wires, by activating at least one drive element.

A holding device applied to a cutting apparatus to hold an object to be cut includes a holding element and a plurality of damping particles. The holding element is used for holding the object to be cut, and the holding element includes at least one accommodating cavity. Each accommodating cavity extends inward from the outer surface of the holding element to form an accommodating space. The plurality of damping particles is placed in at least one accommodating cavity. During the cutting process of the object to be cut, the plurality of damping particles generates collision and friction with each other or with the cavity wall of the accommodating cavity to reduce the vibration generated by the object to be cut, thereby reducing the surface warpage of a plurality of small-volume objects formed after cutting the object to be cut.

A gemstone positioning fixture, including a base and a cover plate applied over the base. The cover plate has apertures, one for each gem to be worked on. At least one biasing member is positioned beneath the plate. The biasing member applies an upward force to the gems to contact the cover plate. The plate is formed of materials that conduct electricity, so as to conduct any charged particles away from the gem work surface.

The wire saw device includes at least one wire, which is provided tightly to be capable of travelling in a direction crossing a workpiece to be cut, a workpiece holder, which is configured to hold the workpiece and to move the workpiece relative to the wire, slurry suppliers, which are configured to supply slurry to cut the workpiece from an upstream side in a travelling direction of the wire, and slurry collectors, which are configured to collect the slurry scattered due to contact with the workpiece. The slurry collector is configured to be movable in conjunction with the workpiece in the state where the slurry collector is disposed adjacent to the workpiece and also configured to be retractable with respect to the workpiece to be prevented from contacting the wire.

A pressing head of the ingot slicing apparatus includes: a head main body in which a plurality of pneumatic supply ports configured to supply compressed air are formed so that pressure on each portion of the pressing head is separately controlled; pressing units installed on a lower end of the head main body, located to correspond to the pneumatic supply ports, and each configured to apply pressure to a side surface of an ingot by the compressed air supplied through each of the pneumatic supply ports; pneumatic correction units each installed on a lower surface of each of the pressing units and configured to control a pressure deviation between the plurality of pressing units; an adhesive plate installed to be in contact with lower side surfaces of the pneumatic correction units so that a lower surface of the adhesive plate is in direct contact with and presses the side surface of the ingot; and a coupling support unit configured to couple and support the head main body, the pressing units, the pneumatic correction units, and the adhesive plate.

An alignment system for aligning an ingot of semiconductor or solar-grade material is provided. The alignment system includes a mounting block for attachment to the ingot, an optical device for aligning a predetermined centerline of the ingot with a reference line, and adjustable supports configured for supporting the ingot on at least four support points and configured to adjust the position of the ingot. The mounting block is movable between a horizontal position and a vertical position.

The invention relates to a cutting system. The cutting system (1) is designed to extend in the direction of a first system axis (7) which extends horizontally along a width (B) of the cutting system (1), in the direction of a second system axis (8) which extends vertically relative to the first system axis (7), and in the direction of a third system axis (9) which extends along the depth (T) of the cutting system orthogonally to the first system axis (7) and the second system axis (8). The cutting system has a support (2), a tool (3; 4) which is received on the support (2) in the form of a saw with a spindle shaft (13; 14), the operating direction of the tool following the direction of the first system axis (7), and an additional tool (5) which is received on the support (2) in the form of a chop saw with a third spindle shaft (15), the operating direction of the additional tool following the direction of the first system axis (7). The tools (3; 4; 5) are used to machine a blank, and the tools (3; 4; 5) are arranged in series in the direction of the first system axis (7). The cutting system (1) has a support element (10) which is received on the support (2) in a movable manner along the first system axis (7) and the second system axis (8), and the support element (10) is provided for supporting the blank. The support element (10) can be rotated about the second system axis (8), and according to the invention, the spindle shaft (13; 14) is orthogonal to the third spindle shaft (15).

An edge alignment method includes (a) calculating coordinates of points having a possibility of corresponding to an edge of the workpiece, (b) forming an approximate circle by using a least squares method on all the coordinates, (c) calculating deviations between the approximate circle and respective ones of all the points, and if plural ones of the points have deviations greater than or equal to a preset threshold, respectively, then determining the point, the deviation of which is greatest, to be a false detection position, and excluding from consideration candidates the point determined to be the false detection position, and (d) estimating a position of the edge of the workpiece from the coordinates of three or more of the points still remaining without exclusion, and based on the estimated position of the edge, deriving a machining area at the outer peripheral portion of the workpiece.

A wafer has a device area on one side with a plurality of devices partitioned by a plurality of division lines. Either side of the wafer is attached to an adhesive tape supported by a first annular frame. A modified region is formed in the wafer along the division lines by a laser. The wafer is placed on a support member whose outer diameter is smaller than an inner diameter of the first annular frame. After applying the laser beam, the adhesive tape is expanded thereby dividing the wafer along the division lines. A second annular frame is attached to a portion of the expanded adhesive tape. An inner diameter of the second annular frame is smaller than the outer diameter of the support member and smaller than the inner diameter of the first annular frame.