5 June 2012

Kyma demos K-Slice diamond wire technology on sapphire boules

Kyma Technologies Inc of Raleigh, NC, USA, which provides crystalline gallium nitride (GaN), aluminium nitride (AlN) and aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) materials and related products and services, has announced the improvement and successful application of its proprietary and exclusively licensed, patent-pending K-Slice diamond wire technology to the slicing of high-quality sapphire boules for LED substrate manufacturing.

Picture: First slices from a 2” LED quality sapphire boule using Kyma’s K-Slice super-abrasive diamond wire technology in a commercial multi-wire saw configuration.

K-Slice diamond wire uses a steel core and metal matrix approach that is claimed to have several advantages over competing diamond wire technologies. It is more durable than that produced using steel plus epoxy approaches, it is less costly than that produced using electroplating techniques, and it features high thermal conductivity and long wire lifetime, the firm adds.

While Kyma has routinely used K-Slice diamond wire to slice such hard materials such as GaN and silicon carbide (SiC), initial attempts to slice sapphire (Al2O3) boules indicated that there was an opportunity to further improve the K-Slice manufacturing process. Senior wafering engineer Dr Eugene Shishkin investigated how process could be modified to create a more sapphire-friendly wire. His efforts have helped Kyma to greatly improve the quality and speed of slicing 2”-diameter sapphire boules while maintaining low kerf loss and long wire lifetime.

K-Slice diamond wire is available on spools with wire lengths between 1km and 3km. It is available with an outer diameter of 220-225µm and diamond size of 20-30µm. Other wire diameters and diamond sizes are available upon request.

Tags: Kyma Sapphire substrates Sapphire boules Diamond wire

Visit: www.kymatech.com