Due to the brittleness of silicon, the use of a diamond wire to cut silicon wafers is a critical stage in solar cell manufacturing. In order to improve the production yield of the cutting process, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the phenomena relating to the cutting parameters. This research reviews and summarizes the technology for the precision machining of monocrystalline silicon using diamond wire sawing (DWS). Firstly, mathematical models, molecular dynamics (MD), the finite element method (FEM), and other methods used for studying the principle of DWS are compared. Secondly, the equipment used for DWS is reviewed, the influences of the direction and magnitude of the cutting force on the material removal rate (MRR) are analyzed, and the improvement of silicon wafer surface quality through optimizing process parameters is summarized. Thirdly, the principles and processing performances of three assisted machining methods, namely ultrasonic vibration-assisted DWS (UV-DWS), electrical discharge vibration-assisted DWS (ED-DWS), and electrochemical-assisted DWS (EC-DWS), are reviewed separately. Finally, the prospects for the precision machining of monocrystalline silicon using DWS are provided, highlighting its significant potential for future development and improvement.
Keywords: diamond wire sawing; hybrid machining; monocrystalline silicon; precision machining.