The Difference Between Tungsten-Based Rigid Wire and Mortar Cutting

Before 2013, photovoltaic silicon wafer cutting mostly used free abrasive mortar cutting process to cut silicon material. However, with the rise of diamond wire cutting technology, diamond wire cutting quickly replaced mortar cutting and became the mainstream silicon wafer cutting technology process. At present, the most popular wire rope in the photovoltaic industry is tungsten-based rigid wire, so what is the difference between it and mortar cutting?

In terms of cutting method, tungsten-based rigid wire cutting is a cutting process, similar to grinding, that is, the diamond is fixed on the straight-drawn tungsten wire by bonding and electroplating for high-speed reciprocating cutting; the cutting method of mortar is free In the cutting mode, the suspended silicon carbide in the suspension is driven by the wire mesh to perform grinding and cutting.

From the perspective of cutting speed, the cutting speed of diamond wire is faster, the main reason is: compared with mortar abrasive, diamond has a greater chance of participating in grinding and cutting, and it can also reduce the interaction between abrasives; The running speed of the diamond is consistent with the cutting line, while the running speed of the mortar is lower than that of the cutting line; the hardness of the diamond is higher and the cutting ability is stronger.

In terms of yield, tungsten-based rigid wire has a higher yield rate, mainly because of its small wire diameter and high breaking force, which will not damage the silicon wafer, and can reduce the loss rate of the silicon wafer at the same time. When the mortar is cutting silicon wafers, free abrasives are prone to agglomeration, which in turn leads to an increase in the broken rate and loss rate of silicon wafers.

In terms of product quality, the quality of silicon wafers cut with tungsten-based rigid wire is higher than that of silicon wafers cut with mortar, which is mainly reflected in the smoother surface and more uniform thickness of the silicon wafers.

With the increasing demand for thinning photovoltaic silicon wafers, the development of tungsten diamond wire has become an inevitable trend.