A finite element analysis of temperature variation in silicon wafers during wiresaw slicing

Temperature variation during slicing can cause undesirable warp and nanotopography on wafer surfaces, especially for large wafers. In this paper, a finite element model is constructed and presented to analyze and synthesize temperature variation of ingot during wiresaw slicing. The heat flux and natural convection boundary condition arising during slicing have been studied and incorporated in the model as well as the material removal. The model is designed to accommodate time-dependent boundary conditions and geometry which are integral to wiresaw slicing process. The results obtained from the model compare very well with the experimental results available in the literature. A method is proposed in order to obtain a relatively flat profile of temperature during slicing in order to reduce warp due to heat generation by intelligent control of boundary conditions. The method is tested using the model developed. The proposed method can be utilized by practitioners in order to obtain wafers with less warp and improved nanotopography due to thermal aspects in slicing using wiresaws. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.