Development of a brazed diamond wire for slicing single-crystal SiC ingots

Fixed abrasive wires, electroplated wire saws, and resinoid wire saws are widely used to slice brittle materials. However, poor wear resistance becomes a crucial issue when these tools are used in hard brittle materials, such as single-crystal silicon carbide (SiC). This problem was addressed in this study through the development of brazed diamond wires. The production method and the slicing performance of brazed diamond wire were systematically investigated. A complete wire manufacturing line was developed to fabricate brazed diamond wire. Effect of brazing temperature on diamond grain graphitization damage was experimentally researched. The results indicated that the diamond grain graphitization damage was weakened or avoided with the optimized brazing temperature and holding time. Effect of brazing temperature on core wire mechanical property was evaluated by tensile strength, breaking twist strength, and repeated bending strength. Long brazed diamond wires were produced with optimized produce parameters for various brazing alloys. Sawing experiments on single-crystal SiC reveal that the slicing ability and slicing efficiency of the self-made brazed wire saws were better than those of commercial electroplated wire saws.