Capabilities
Precision Cutting & Slicing
Diamond wire saw and precision dicing for fused quartz, sapphire, and ceramics, with slice thickness, tolerance, and kerf requirements reviewed by material and drawing.
Precision Cutting & Slicing
Cutting fused quartz, sapphire, and technical ceramics into precise blanks, wafers, and plates is the first step in any machining workflow. The cutting method, blade specification, and feed rate critically determine the subsequent grinding workload and the risk of subsurface damage. Tuguan Semiconductor operates multiple cutting platforms matched to the material and geometry requirements of each job.
Cutting Methods
Diamond Wire Saw (Multi-Wire)
Multi-wire diamond wire saws can cut billets into multiple slices in a single pass and are reviewed for high-volume slicing when the material form and thickness requirements are suitable.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Wire diameter | Selected by material and cut requirement |
| Kerf width | Process-dependent |
| Slice thickness tolerance | Specified per drawing |
| Surface roughness (as-cut) | Process-dependent |
| Max billet diameter | Reviewed by material form |
| Bow / warp | Reviewed by part size and inspection method |
| Parallelism | Specified per drawing |
Best suited for: High-volume production of wafer-format blanks, optical substrate slices, and window blanks from round or rectangular billets.
Single-Wire Diamond Saw
Single-wire sawing provides greater flexibility for prototype quantities, odd geometries, and very thick sections where multi-wire setup cost is not justified.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Thickness range | Reviewed by material and geometry |
| Thickness tolerance | Specified per drawing |
| Max billet size | Reviewed by material form |
| Kerf width | Process-dependent |
| Setup time | Reviewed by order scope |
Precision Dicing (Blade Saw)
For small parts requiring very tight positional accuracy of the cut face, blade dicing offers excellent cut quality and CNC-controlled kerf placement.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Min slice thickness | Reviewed by material and fixture |
| Kerf positional accuracy | Specified per drawing |
| Surface roughness | Process-dependent |
| Max part size | Reviewed by fixture and material |
| Blade specification | Resin-bond diamond, 100–400 grit |
Best suited for: Precision windows, substrates, and small blanks from valuable material where kerf loss must be minimized.
Inner-Diameter (ID) Blade Saw
ID sawing uses a tensioned annular blade and is preferred for cutting single, precise slices from small-diameter rods and billets where setup flexibility is required.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Max billet OD | Reviewed by material form |
| Min slice thickness | Reviewed by material and fixture |
| Thickness tolerance | Specified per drawing |
| Blade kerf width | Process-dependent |
Material-Specific Cutting Parameters
| Material | Preferred Method | Wire/Blade Speed | Feed Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fused quartz | Multi-wire or blade | Process setting to confirm | Feed to confirm | Reviewed by material form |
| Synthetic fused silica | Multi-wire or blade | Process setting to confirm | Feed to confirm | Reviewed by material form |
| Sapphire | Single-wire, fine grit | Process setting to confirm | Feed to confirm | Reviewed by hardness and edge quality |
| Alumina 99.5% | Multi-wire or blade | Process setting to confirm | Feed to confirm | Reviewed by grade |
| Silicon nitride | Multi-wire + US assist | Process setting to confirm | Feed to confirm | Reviewed by fracture risk |
| Silicon carbide | Blade or single-wire | Process setting to confirm | Feed to confirm | Reviewed by hardness and tool wear |
| Boron nitride | Blade saw | Process setting to confirm | Feed to confirm | Reviewed by grade |
Subsurface Damage Management
Every cutting method introduces a subsurface damage (SSD) layer — micro-cracks beneath the cut surface that must be removed by subsequent grinding and polishing. Minimizing SSD depth reduces total downstream machining allowance and cycle time.
| Cutting Method | Typical SSD Depth | Required Grinding Allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-wire saw (fine wire) | Process-dependent | Reviewed by downstream process |
| Blade dicing (fine grit) | Process-dependent | Reviewed by downstream process |
| ID blade saw | Process-dependent | Reviewed by downstream process |
| Single-wire (coarse) | Process-dependent | Reviewed by downstream process |
Coolant & Contamination Control
Cutting coolant, mounting, and post-cut cleaning requirements should be confirmed before quotation. Semiconductor-related components can be reviewed for water-based cutting, ultrasonic cleaning, and DI-water rinsing where applicable.
Typical Applications
- Optical window blanks — sliced from boules or rods to customer thickness specification
- Wafer carrier plate sections — cut from large-format ceramic plates
- Substrate blanks — sapphire sliced for downstream lapping and polishing
- Quartz tube sections — precise length cuts from drawn tubing
- Ring and disc blanks — cross-sections from quartz rod stock