We received a large silicon wafer from a customer who needed several smaller circular wafers cut from it. We ran the cutting test on our SGI 20 CNC Contour Cutting Machine, using a drawing that combined two wafer sizes. The test produced 13 smaller wafers from the original piece.
In this silicon wafer coring application, the circular pieces cut out of the source wafer are the required parts.
The Application: Coring a Customer-Supplied Silicon Wafer
The customer’s requirement was to convert an existing large wafer into smaller round wafers. The drawing defined the outline and position of each part within the source material.
The task focused on circular contour cutting within the wafer’s existing plane. It did not involve slicing new wafers from a silicon ingot.
| Item | Cutting Test Details |
|---|---|
| Material | Silicon |
| Starting workpiece | One customer-supplied large wafer |
| Machine | SGI 20 CNC Contour Cutting Machine |
| Required parts | Smaller circular wafers |
| Layout | Two sizes in one drawing |
| Reported output | 13 smaller wafers |
The Challenge: Translating the Layout into Circular Parts
The mixed-size layout required the machine to follow each circular boundary at its specified position. The machining task was to turn that drawing into separate, recoverable silicon pieces.
For this test, the demonstrated requirement was geometric: produce the circular parts arranged within the source wafer. Wafer dimensions, acceptance tolerances, and measured edge-quality results were not included in the supplied video description.
The Approach: Drawing Import and Automatic Contour Cutting
The SGI 20 supports CAD/CAM drawing import. We used the prepared layout to define the cutting paths, which the machine followed automatically during the test.
As cutting progressed, the screen displayed the wire’s position in real time. This allowed the operator to follow its movement through the programmed layout. The display provides a view of machining progress; finished-part dimensions require separate inspection.
The machine also has two control systems, with the upper screen available for slicing operations.
Wire diameter, speed, tension, and feed rate were not reported for this test. For background on these settings, see our wire speed, tension, and feed rate guide.
The Result: 13 Smaller Wafers from One Silicon Wafer
The completed cutting test produced 13 smaller silicon wafers in the two sizes specified in the layout.
The video documents the progression from the drawing to automatic machining and the recovered circular pieces. It provides a concrete example of the SGI 20 carrying out silicon wafer coring on customer-supplied material.
For a similar project, the source wafer dimensions, required disc sizes, and edge-quality requirements would form the basis of the cutting assessment. This test establishes the demonstrated geometry and output count without implying an unreported accuracy, cycle time, or material-saving percentage.
Can We Core Your Silicon Wafer?
If you need smaller circular wafers from a larger silicon piece, send us:
- Source wafer diameter and thickness.
- Silicon material specification, if available.
- Required diameters and quantity of each size.
- Part drawing or proposed layout.
- Dimensional tolerances and edge-quality requirements.
- Sample quantity or expected production volume.
Our free test cutting service provides a way to evaluate your material and cutting requirements before selecting equipment.
