To maintain the quality and performance of optical and electronic components such as LED chips, photonic devices, and RF modules, and to reduce production yield loss, sapphire substrate fine cutting and precision processing equipment is used.

To maximize production throughput in high-volume manufacturing and keep operating costs as low as possible, cutting equipment should be designed to be highly precise and efficient. Optimal matching of the diamond wire, tension control system and cutting machine is a prerequisite for low-stress and high-yield sapphire processing. A highly efficient cutting system can make a decisive contribution to reducing processing time by providing ultra-narrow kerf loss at high process stability. Depending on the wafer thickness and material properties of the sapphire, the required cutting precision of a substrate processing line varies, and with it the wire tension control and cutting speed to be delivered by the diamond wire saw.

In addition to a high precision in the operating range of the production line, the cutting system used should be as space-saving as possible and have a robust design in order to keep the installation and maintenance effort low. The latter applies in particular to automated processing lines used in high-volume fabs. If the cutting system is used in cleanroom environments, the high reliability and low contamination requirements of the diamond wire cutting equipment used must also be taken into account.