Sapphire wafer sorter (SAPW-CR)

Automatic X-ray measuring and sorting of sapphire wafers

The machine fetches wafers from a cassette, takes a measurement and then places the wafer into the same or another cassette.

Crystal orientation is determined in a high-precision X-ray -scan measurement. In addition, the position of the wafer mark (flat, notch) is recognized from optical imaging. As a special feature, wafer bow & warp is determined by use of a line laser.

Sorting can be based on X-ray orientation, mark position and bow & warp criteria.

Measurement instructions for one or more cassettes can be defined in advance so that after start of the run, wafers are processed in fully automatic fashion using the bar code designation on the cassettes.

Wafer sorter

Lumbered quartz bar adjustment (QBE20)

Automated X-ray adjustment of bars and assemby into bar stacks

This development in 2008 is a machine for automated X-ray adjustment and assembly of lumbered AT-quartz bars into bar stacks.

Slicing of quartz bars is most effective when a high number of bars can be processed in one single step. Our new machine is a special custom design for building stacks of up to 6x5 lumbered quartz bars. Bars are filled into the magazine and are then automatically transported, measured, X-ray adjusted and then pressed against and fixated into a stack. UV-light is used to cure the adhesive glue.

Bar adjustment

X-Ray Orientation Machine for Sapphire (SAPG)

X-Ray Orientated Grinding of Sapphire Ingot Faces

Several sapphire processing steps rely on precise crystal orientation. Ingot end faces resulting from the initial core drilling are therefore mostly unacceptable and such raw ingots are usually post-processed to obtain end faces, and flats with the required precision in crystal orientation. X-ray orientated grinding is a cost-effective strategy to shorten the production time and number of steps and thus, has already been successfully applied by leaders in the crystal market.
EFG has developed the X-Ray Orientation Machine for Sapphire (SAPG), an X-ray orientation measurement and adjustment system for up to 8” round sapphire ingots either specialized for c and r-orientation or more generally for c-, r-, a-, and m-orientations.

Sapphire Grinding

Orientation Mapping of Polycrystalline Silicon (TOPSI)

Total High-Precision X-Ray Orientation Mapping of Polycrystalline Silicon

Polycrystalline silicon is the cornerstone material used in the production of highly efficient solar cells. It is a material consisting of multiple small silicon crystals, also called grains. In contrast to single crystal production, the process control for thin multicrystalline silicon production is not yet fully established and a variety of analytical methods are therefore of interest.
On special customer request, EFG has developed an orientation measurement device based on the well-established high-precision -scan method. As a world- premiere this machine does not only allow the orientation analysis of each single grain on foils and wafers up to 280 mm diameter but it can also detect orientation variations within selected grains.

Polycrystalline Silicon