SPOOL WITH SAW WIRE HAVING ELASTIC AND PLASTIC ROTATIONS

Abstract

A spool of saw wire is disclosed. The saw wire is wound on the core of the spool (718). The saw wire is made of steel wire (406) wherein two or more crimp deformations are implemented. Each of said two or more crimp deformations has a crimp direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Each of the crimp directions is different from the other crimp directions. The saw wire on the spool comprises a number of elastic rotations per unit length applied in the elastic rotation direction. The spool with saw wire can give excellent processability in the sawing process.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A spool with saw wire, said spool comprising a core whereon saw wire is wound, said saw wire having a longitudinal axis, said saw wire comprising a steel wire, said steel wire being provided with two or more crimp deformations; each one of said two or more crimp deformations having a crimp direction; each one of said crimp directions being perpendicular to said longitudinal axis; said crimp directions being mutually different from one another; wherein said saw wire comprises a number of elastic rotations per unit length around said longitudinal axis applied in the elastic rotation direction.

17. The spool with saw wire according to claim 16, wherein the number of said elastic rotations is between 0.5 and 10 rotations per meter.

18. The spool with saw wire according to claim 16, wherein all of said two or more crimp directions of said saw wire rotate in a plastic rotation direction along said longitudinal axis with a number of plastic rotations per unit length.

19. The spool with saw wire according to claim 18, wherein said number of plastic rotations per unit length is between 0.5 and 10 rotations per meter.

20. The spool with saw wire according to claim 18, wherein the plastic rotation direction and the elastic rotation direction are opposite.

21. The spool with saw wire according to claim 18, wherein the plastic rotation direction and the elastic rotation direction are equal.

22. The spool with saw wire according to claim 18, wherein the sum of the number of plastic rotations and the number of elastic rotations is between 0.5 and 20 rotations per meter.

23. The spool with saw wire according to claim 16, wherein the number of said crimp deformations is two.

24. The spool with saw wire according to claim 23, wherein said two crimp directions have an angle between 70? to 110? to one another.

25. The spool with saw wire according to claim 16, wherein each of said two or more crimp deformations have a crimp wavelength, each of said crimp wavelengths being mutually different from one another.

26. The spool with saw wire according to claim 25, wherein the number of crimp deformations is two and wherein the first crimp wavelength is larger than the second crimp wavelength and the first crimp wavelength is smaller than twice the second crimp wavelength.

27. The spool with saw wire according to claim 16, wherein each of said two or more crimp deformations have a crimp amplitude, each of said crimp amplitudes being within +/?40% of the average of the crimp amplitude of said two or more crimp deformations.

28. The spool with saw wire according to claim 27, wherein the difference between maximum and minimum calliper diameter of the saw wire is less than 10% of the average of maximum and minimum calliper diameter.

29. The spool with saw wire according to claim 16, wherein said steel wire has a wire diameter wherein said two or more crimp deformations show bends with segments in between, wherein the average distance between bends along said longitudinal axis is between three and twenty times said wire diameter.

30. The spool with saw wire according to claim 16, wherein said saw wire has an outer end, said outer end being rotationally fixed to prevent release of said elastic rotations.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES IN THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG. 1 a, b and c show a prior art saw wire trace having two crimp deformations in mutual perpendicular directions as measured;

[0047] FIGS. 2 a, b and c shows the same prior art saw wire trace but now rotated to make the first and the second crimp deformation visible;

[0048] FIGS. 3 a, b and c shows the inventive saw wire with elastic and/or plastic torsions in the saw wire;

[0049] FIG. 4 shows the longitudinal shadow projection of the prior art saw wire;

[0050] FIG. 5 shows the longitudinal shadow projection of the inventive saw wire;

[0051] FIG. 6 shows how elastic rotations can be measured on a spool;

[0052] FIG. 7 shows how a spool with saw wire with plastic and elastic rotations can be made.

MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0053] Conventional prior art structured saw wires are made by guiding a fine, high tensile steel wire of 130 ?m through two subsequent pairs of crimper wheels. The steel wire is formed in two subsequent crimping operations in mutually perpendicular directions. In the first crimping operation the wire is given a first crimp deformation i.e. a zig-zag shape wherein a straight segment connects two bends in opposite directions. The direction of the first crimp deformation lies in the plane formed by the zig-zag shape and is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the structured sawing wire. This planar wave is subsequently crimped in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the wave in a second crimping operation. First and second crimp deformations may have amplitudes and wavelengths that are different from one another. The resulting structured sawing wire shows the first crimp deformation in parallel projection on the plane formed by the first crimp direction and the longitudinal axis and the second crimp deformation in parallel projection on the plane formed by the second crimp direction and the longitudinal axis.

[0054] The shape of the structured saw wire can be measured by means of a KEYENCE LS 3034 laser scan system in combination with a KEYENCE LS 3100 processing unit such as described in WO 95/16816 (called trace scanner). In this system a structured saw wire of about 20 cm length is held taut under a force of 1?0.2 N. The sample is fixed between two synchronously rotatable drill chucks. Care must be taken not to impose bending or torsion deformations to the wire when mounting. Then a diode laser head scans the wire along its longitudinal axis (the Z-axis) and the under and upper edge of the wire is recorded as a function of length z. The average of the two values gives the position of the central line of the wire along the X-axis, perpendicular to the Z-axis as a function of z i.e. x(z). Then the fixation points are turned 90? and the scan is repeated. This results in the position of the central line of the wire along the Y-axis as a function of the z coordinate i.e. y(z). Hence the parameter function (x(z),y(z),z) defines the shape of the central line of the saw wire in three dimensions. By loading this array into a spreadsheet program or any other suitable data analysis programme, one can visualize the trace in an enlarged view which is needed as the indentations are quite small. One can virtually rotate the trace by applying a rotation transformation to it or observe the projections from any desired angle.

[0055] FIG. 1 shows the traces formed by the central line of a prior art saw wire as measured. FIG. 1a is the direction observed at 0? angle i.e. the free chosen angle at which the sample is mounted between the drill chucks. FIG. 1b shows the same sample but now rotated 90? when the second scan is taken. FIG. 1c shows the longitudinal projection of the saw wire. FIGS. 1a and 1b show traces that do not allow identification of any single crimp. The average wavelength of the wavy shape is 3.598 mm (standard deviation of 0.377 mm) and 3.542 (standard deviation of 0.800 mm) for FIGS. 1a and 1b respectively. FIG. 1c gives a hint that two mutual perpendicular crimps are present. Note that the longitudinal length along the Z-axis is expressed in millimetre while the vertical axis (X or Y) is expressed in micrometer i.e. the crimps are minute.

[0056] By now virtually rotating the wire one finds at 30.5? a first crimp deformation with a wavelength of 3.617 mm and a minimum standard deviation of 0.098 mm: FIG. 2a. Further rotating gives a second crimp deformation at 123? with a wavelength of 3.078 mm and a minimum standard deviation of 0.048 mm: FIG. 2b. These are the two parallel projections of the two crimp deformations. The angle between both crimp deformations is 123??30.5? or 92.5? which is very close to perpendicular. In this way the crimp deformations of the wire can be disentangled. At the rotation angles of 30.5? and 123? the longitudinal projection (FIG. 2c) shows a Lissajous type of figure that is delimited by a rectangle that is aligned with the crimp direction of the first and second crimp. The first crimp amplitude is 38 ?m, the second crimp amplitude is 30 ?m.

[0057] FIG. 4 shows the longitudinal shadow projection of the prior art wire. In this projection account has been taken of the steel wire 406 body with a diameter of 130 ?m. The outer envelope of the saw wire is indicated with 402. All steel wire remains within this envelope. The central wire longitudinal projection is indicated with 404. Different calliper diameter DO and D1 are shown. The shape of the central rectangle is reflected in the shape of the envelope that shows large differences in calliper diameter of the circumference. DO is the minimum calliper diameter of 168.0 ?m, D1 is the maximum calliper diameter of 185.6 ?m. The maximum and minimum diameters differ by 10% of their average value. Such a wire mayduring sawingintermittently get blocked in a preferred direction for a certain cutting length. The wafer parametrics such as total thickness variation and saw marks are adversely affected by this phenomenon.

[0058] In order to overcome this defect the inventors made a spool of saw wire wherein elastic torsions or elastic and plastic torsions have been incorporated in the saw wire wound on the spool.

[0059] In order to induce elastic or plastic rotations onto a saw wire on a spool, the inventors used the process as depicted in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a double twister 700 that is built on a firm stand 708 and comprises two rotation shafts 706 and 706 that are synchronously driven by motor 704. The two rotation shafts 706, 706 carry a cradle 702 that is rotationally supported between rotation shafts 706, 706 and hangs stationary when the rotation shafts rotate in the indicated direction (the arrow). A pay-off spool 710 with straight wire 712 is mounted on the cradle 702 and guided to a first pair of crimper wheels 714. There the wire obtains a first crimp deformation in a first crimp direction. The resulting planar waved wire is guided through a second pair of crimper wheels 714 of which the axes are mounted perpendicular to the axis of the first pair of crimper wheels. The resulting wire 712 shows two crimp deformations with crimp directions that are mutually perpendicular to one another.

[0060] The wire 712 is subsequently guided over reversing pulley 715. Due to the rotary movement of the shafts 706, 706 the wire is twisted around its first axis with a rotation amount RA per meter that is equal to the number of turns the shafts 706, 706 makes per minute divided by the linear speed of the wire. The wire 712 moves through a flyer or through air to the second reversing pulley 715. There the wire receives a second rotation amount RA per meter that is equal to the first amount and in the same twisting direction. The saw wire 712 that results has thus received 2RA rotations per meter.

[0061] Optionally the wire is guided through a false twister device 716 that turns in the same direction as the shafts but possibly with a different number of rotations per minute. The saw wire leaves the device 716 as 712 and is spooled on a spool 718 having a core and this is the spool with saw wire according the invention.

[0062] In order to introduce an amount of elastic torsions on the wire it suffices that the amount of rotations induced on the wire 2RA is well below the rotational elastic limit of the steel wire. The rotational elastic limit REL is the highest number of rotations that when twisted onto the wire will also elastically release from the wire. So if a number of rotations that is larger than REL are induced to the wire, only REL rotations will be liberated out of the wire upon release. Hence as long as 2RA<REL the number of elastic rotations found back on the saw wire will be 2RA.

[0063] Whether or not a spool with saw wire incorporates elastic rotations can be easily established as illustrated in FIG. 6. A spool with saw wire 610 is mounted on a pay off stand. The tester 620 withdraws a length L of saw wire 612 from the spool while keeping the end of the wire fixed between thumb and index finger. A length L of 1 to 3 meter provides enough accuracy. A hook 614 is made to the end of the saw wire. Upon release of the finger grip the amount of rotations released 616 is counted to the nearest quarter turn. In case the number of rotations is less than one the measuring length L is increased until the number of rotations is larger than 1. The number of turns (inclusive quarter turns) counted is divided by the length L of the saw wire to obtain the number of rotations per meter.

[0064] When the number of applied rotations 2RA is larger than REL, REL rotations will be present in the saw wire as elastic rotations while 2RA-REL rotations will remain as plastic rotations. However, for very fine steel wires with a high tensile strength the REL value is very high (more than 90 rotations per meter) resulting in more than 90 elastic rotations coming out of the saw wire. This is unacceptable for use. In order to abate the elastic residual torsions a false twister 716 is introduced. The false twister 716 over-twists the wire with FT false twists per meter in the plastic region and thereafter takes out the same number FT of elastic rotations out. What remains is a saw wire with a number of plastic rotations and a number of elastic rotations that are controlled by the speed of the false twister. If the number FT of false twists added is equal to REL, there are no elastic rotations in the resulting saw wire. When FT is smaller than REL there remain elastic rotations applied in the same direction as that of the plastic rotations. When FT is higher than REL there remain elastic rotations applied in the opposite direction as that of the plastic rotations.

[0065] FIG. 3 a and b show projections of the same crimped wire as of FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein 3.5 plastic rotations per meter have been induced. The projections are X-Z and Y-Z projections mutually orthogonal to one another. The longitudinal projection (on the X-Y plane) does not show the rectangular feature over the measuring length of 100 mm. 100 mm is representative for the length of the wire in the cut. The longitudinal shadow projection of this wire is shown in FIG. 5. Again the longitudinal projection of the central wire 504 is indicated and the envelope of the shadow projection 502 of steel wire 506. The maximum caliper diameter D1 of 185.6 ?m and minimum caliper diameter DO of 175.3 ?m is indicated. The difference between maximum and minimum caliper diameter is now 5.7% of the average diameter i.e. the workpiece is confronted with a rounder saw wire. The effect of elastic rotations on the shadow projection is equal to that of the plastic rotations.

[0066] Whether or not a saw wire comprises plastic rotations such as shown in FIG. 3, a, b and c can also be established based on the trace recorded by the trace scanner. A virtual backtwist can be given to the wire wherein a number of plastic rotations are turned out evenly over the complete length of the wire trace whereby the end at z=0 is held fixed and the end at z=100 mm is turned back. When turning back the trace of FIGS. 3 a, b and c, the trace of FIG. 1c emerges. From that longitudinal projection it is possible to derive the first and second crimp deformations properties. Hence it is possible to establish the number of plastic rotations given to the saw wire. In this case the profile had to be turned back 1.26? per mm.

[0067] Both a conventional double crimped structured sawing wire without elastic and plastic rotations (Prior art) and a wire with elastic rotations (about 1 rotation per meter) and plastic rotations (0.25 rotations per meter) (Invention) have been tested in two different saw tests (Case 1, Case 2). During the test the table speed was stepwise increased until maximum. The maximum allowable table speed is shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Table speed Prior art (mm/min) Invention (mm/min) Case 1 0.35 0.70 Case 2 0.40 0.75

[0068] With the inventive wire a much higher sawing speed can be obtained (the table speed corresponds to the speed of cutting). As the wire feed speed was not different between sawing with the prior art and inventive saw wire, more wafers can be sawn with the inventive wire than with the prior art wire. In addition the number of wafers sawn per unit of time increases i.e. the throughput increases.

[0069] Over and above the wafer parametrics of all wafers was better with the inventive wire compared to the prior art saw wire: [0070] The maximum saw mark depth range drops from [21 ?m; 48 ?m] for the prior art wire, to [16 ?m to 27 ?m] for the inventive saw wire. [0071] The total thickness variation of wafers varies between [2.8; 31.5] ?m for the prior art wire and between [3.1; 13.6] ?m for the inventive wire.

[0072] The data indicate that a substantial improvement of wafer parametrics in combination with an increased throughput and less wire usage can be obtained when using a spool with saw wire having elastic and plastic rotations.