TWM661898U - Electrical discharge machining apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical discharge machining (EDM) apparatus for performing EDM processes on a workpiece is disclosed. The EDM apparatus includes a carrier and an EDM unit. The carrier is used to support the workpiece. The workpiece is defined with a target area. The EDM unit uses a discharge electrode to perform an EDM process on the target area of the workpiece with a processing parameter. According to the change status of discharge frequency or discharge energy during a discharge process of the EDM process, the EDM unit correspondingly adjusts an actual output energy value, so that the EDM process maintains a processing target status. The EDM apparatus utilizes a slag discharge unit that can provide external force to assist in removing slag remaining in the EDM groove. In addition, an insulating sleeve covering the discharge electrode can be utilized to reduce kerf loss.

Description

Discharge machining equipment

This invention relates to a processing device, in particular to an electric discharge processing device.

With the booming development of the semiconductor industry, electrical discharge machining (EDM) technology has been commonly used to process ingots or wafers. EDM is a manufacturing technology that generates sparks by discharge to make the object to be processed into the desired shape. The dielectric material separates the two electrodes and applies voltage to generate periodic and rapidly changing current discharge to process the above-mentioned object to be processed. EDM technology uses two electrodes, one of which is called the tool electrode, or the discharge electrode, and the other electrode is called the workpiece electrode, which is connected to the above-mentioned object to be processed. During the EDM process, there is no actual contact between the discharge electrode and the workpiece electrode.

When the potential difference between the two electrodes increases, the electric field between the two electrodes will also increase until the electric field strength is higher than the dielectric strength. At this time, dielectric collapse will occur, and the current will flow through the two electrodes and melt away part of the material. When the current stops, new dielectric material will flow into the electric field between the electrodes, exclude part of the above material, and provide the dielectric insulation effect again. After the current flows, the potential difference between the two electrodes will return to the level before the dielectric collapse, so that a new dielectric collapse can be repeated. Since the above-mentioned discharge process will remove part of the material of the workpiece to be processed, the gap distance between the electrode and the workpiece to be processed will become larger. When the gap continues to increase until the electric field strength is lower than the dielectric strength, it will cause a situation where discharge cannot be performed, that is, the discharge processing program is interrupted. Therefore, during the feeding process of EDM, the above-mentioned spacing distance needs to be adjusted (reduced or increased) in real time. However, in actual technology, it is impossible to directly measure the above-mentioned spacing distance, and the spacing distance can only be adjusted according to the operator's experience for various objects to be processed.

The roughness of the cut surface formed by the existing EDM technology is poor, and there are many surface cracks on the cut surface, which may even extend along the non-cutting direction, resulting in a fracture effect in an unexpected direction. In addition, when the existing EDM technology is used to perform, for example, ingot cutting, it is necessary to use a clamping device to clamp the periphery of the ingot, that is, to clamp the side of the ingot radially to prevent rolling or displacement. However, traditional technology can only cut the ingot exposed outside the clamping device, and cannot cut the area where the clamping device and the ingot overlap, so the traditional technology needs to be stopped and readjusted before cutting again.

Moreover, in traditional ingot cutting technology, since the thickness of the cut wafer is quite thin, wafer cracking often occurs in traditional ingot cutting technology. In addition, in traditional discharge processing technology, the discharge electrode is easily adhered to slag, resulting in uneven discharge (such as discharge cessation or excessive local current), and even easily causing damage to the electrode and the object to be processed.

In view of this, one of the purposes of this invention is to provide an EDM device to solve many problems of the above-mentioned traditional technologies.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the invention proposes a discharge processing device for performing a discharge processing procedure on at least one object to be processed, comprising: at least one carrier for carrying the object to be processed, the object to be processed defining at least one processing target area; and at least one discharge processing unit, comprising at least one discharge electrode and a power supply unit, wherein the power supply unit provides a discharge energy to the discharge electrode at a discharge frequency, and the discharge processing unit performs the discharge processing procedure on the processing target area of the object to be processed carried by the carrier through the discharge electrode with at least one processing parameter, wherein the discharge processing unit adjusts an actual output energy value correspondingly according to the change state of the discharge frequency or the discharge energy in a discharge process of the discharge processing procedure, so that the discharge processing procedure is maintained in a target processing state.

The discharge processing unit adjusts the discharge frequency and/or the discharge energy provided by the power supply unit to adjust the actual output energy value in real time when the discharge processing procedure is performed, so that the discharge processing procedure is maintained in the target processing state.

The discharge processing unit adjusts the processing parameters to correspondingly adjust the actual output energy value in real time.

The EDM unit adjusts the processing parameters according to an internal or external feature of the object to be processed, so that the EDM process is maintained in the target processing state.

There are multiple types of processing parameters, and the discharge processing program selects at least one of the types of processing parameters for adjustment, so that the discharge processing program is maintained in the target processing state.

The target processing state is selected from a group consisting of the cutting speed, material removal rate, material consumption rate and surface roughness of the object to be processed and the disconnection frequency of the discharge electrode.

The discharge processing unit performs the discharge processing procedure on the processing target area of the object to be processed at a preset temperature, and the preset temperature is less than or equal to 100 degrees Celsius.

The discharge processing unit performs the discharge processing procedure on the processing target area of the object to be processed in a temperature range, wherein the object to be processed has a substantially minimum resistivity in the temperature range.

The discharge machining unit performs the discharge machining process on the target area of the object to be processed in an aqueous solution.

Wherein, the object to be processed is a semiconductor material.

The carrier further includes at least one clamping member, which is a slit structure. The clamping member applies radial or axial force to the object to be processed to fix the object to be processed.

The type of the slit of the slit structure is selected from the group consisting of a closed type without opening, a single-side opening type, and a double-side opening type.

The clamping member is a fixed or detachable single-side locking structure or double-side locking structure for clamping the object to be processed.

The slit structure has one or more slits, and each of the slits has the same or different spans.

The slit structure has one or more slits, and the distances between every two adjacent slits are the same or different.

The slit structure has at least one slit, and the slit has a non-equidistant span or an adjustable span.

The slit structure has a plurality of slits, and at least two of the slits are interconnected.

The clamping member and the object to be processed are partially connected or bonded via a conductor or an insulator.

Wherein, the conductor or the insulator is a solid medium, a soft medium or an adhesive.

The discharge machining device further includes a slag removal unit for providing at least one external force to remove the slag generated when the discharge electrode performs the discharge machining process on the object to be processed.

The external force is selected from one or more of the group consisting of air flow, water flow, ultrasonic vibration, piezoelectric vibration, suction and magnetic force.

The slag removal unit further includes a guide structure for guiding the external force to a processing groove of the discharge electrode for performing the discharge processing procedure on the processing target area of the object to be processed.

The guiding structure is manually or automatically accompanied by the discharge electrode that is performing the discharge processing procedure to change the position or angle of the external force, so as to guide the external force to a discharge processing position of the processing groove of the object to be processed where the discharge electrode is currently performing the discharge processing procedure.

The guide structure accompanies the discharge electrode in the processing groove of the processing target area of the object to be processed, so as to synchronously fill and move to a discharge processing position on the processing groove of the processing target area where the discharge processing procedure has been completed.

The guide structure is an externally sealed baffle plate, which is used to cover an area on the processing target area of the object to be processed where the discharge processing procedure has not yet been performed, and moves synchronously with the discharge electrode.

Wherein, the guiding structure is a finger-fork structure corresponding to the processing groove on the processing target area of the object to be processed.

The guiding structure is equipped with a telescopic mechanism to automatically move synchronously with the discharge electrode to guide the external force.

The guiding structure is matched with a sensing element to adjust the guiding effect according to a sensing result of the sensing element.

The EDM device further includes a temperature control unit to provide a heat source and/or a cold source to the object to be processed when performing the EDM process.

Wherein, the heat source is infrared, microwave or electric heater.

The cold source is used in conjunction with an antifreeze agent to prevent freezing of a processing environment of the discharge processing unit.

The temperature control unit has a temperature sensor to determine whether a processing environment of the object to be processed has reached a target temperature, so as to maintain the processing environment at the target temperature.

Among them, ozone or bubbles are added to one of the processing environments of the discharge processing unit to improve the processing efficiency by oxidation, softening or explosion.

The material of the discharge electrode is selected from the group consisting of copper, brass, molybdenum, tungsten, graphite, steel, aluminum, zinc, nickel and diamond.

The interior of the discharge electrode is a metal layer, and the discharge electrode has a dielectric material layer or a diamond layer covering the outer periphery of the metal layer.

In the discharge process of the discharge machining procedure, the discharge electrode is used as a capacitance sensing element to provide a sensing capacitance value.

When the number of at least one of the discharge electrodes and the object to be processed is plural, the discharge processing procedure has plural processing feed speeds correspondingly, and the discharge processing unit uses the slowest one of the plural processing feed speeds as a common processing feed speed.

Wherein, the carrier is a movable carrier, and the carrier uses the common processing feed speed as the moving speed.

There are multiple discharge electrodes, and each of the multiple discharge electrodes has an independently controlled processing feed speed.

The number of the discharge electrodes and the objects to be processed are both plural, and the plural discharge electrodes perform the discharge processing procedure on the same or different objects to be processed.

The discharge processing unit further includes an insulating sleeve, which is sleeved on the outer side of the discharge electrode and exposes at least one surface of the discharge electrode in a processing feed direction, so as to use the surface as a discharge surface of the discharge electrode when performing the discharge process.

The discharge surface exposed by the discharge electrode forms a discharge area during the discharge process that is substantially larger than the cross-section of the insulating sleeve.

The relative positions of the insulating sleeve and the discharge electrode in a processing feed direction of the discharge processing procedure are fixed, and the relative positions of the insulating sleeve and the discharge electrode in a tension direction of the discharge electrode are movable.

The insulating sleeve includes a bottom plate and two side walls, the two side walls are located at two ends of the bottom plate to form a receiving groove, the interior of the receiving groove forms a receiving chamber for accommodating the discharge electrode, and the receiving groove has an opening connected to the receiving chamber to expose the discharge surface of the discharge electrode located in the receiving chamber.

The insulating sleeve is sleeved on the outer side of the discharge electrode along a tension direction of the discharge electrode, and the insulating sleeve has one or more notches to provide water drainage and chip removal functions in the discharge machining process.

The carrier further includes at least one clamping member, and a conformal degree between a clamping surface of the clamping member and a contour of the object to be processed changes correspondingly according to a clamping degree between the clamping member and the object to be processed, so as to change a degree of adhesion between the clamping surface of the clamping member and the contour of the object to be processed accordingly.

The power supply unit of the discharge processing unit is integrated or separately configured on the discharge processing device to supply a power source of the discharge energy to the object to be processed.

It also includes a non-destructive detection device for detecting the object to be processed before, during or after the discharge processing procedure.

The discharge processing unit further includes a vibration measurement unit for measuring the vibration value of the discharge electrode.

The discharge processing unit further includes a tension measurement unit for measuring the tension value of the discharge electrode.

As mentioned above, the EDM device created in this invention has the following advantages and effects:

(1) By adjusting the actual discharge energy value of the discharge process according to the change of the discharge frequency or discharge energy during the discharge process, the discharge processing program can be maintained at the predetermined target processing state.

(2) The slag removal unit can provide external force to assist in removing the slag remaining in the processing groove.

(3) The guiding structure can correctly guide the external force provided by the slag removal unit to the EDM position of the current EDM process.

(4) The discharge electrode can be used as a capacitance sensing element to provide instantaneous sensing capacitance value as a discharge feedback signal.

(5) The insulating sleeve covers the discharge electrode and exposes the discharge surface of the discharge electrode in the processing feed direction, which can reduce the kerf loss and improve the precision of discharge processing. Therefore, it can effectively improve the problem that traditional discharge electrodes and the workpiece are prone to unexpected damage.

(6) The insulating sleeve covering the discharge electrode can make the discharge electrode less vibrating and can also enhance the external force for slag removal (such as water flow or air flow) to achieve the chip removal effect. The insulating sleeve can make the workpiece (such as a wafer) less vibrating after cutting, reducing the risk of fragmentation. Moreover, the insulating sleeve can use the external force for slag removal (such as water flow or air flow) to reduce the friction between the insulating sleeve and the discharge electrode to avoid damage to the discharge electrode. In addition, the insulating sleeve can also provide local heating at the same time.

(7) The insulating sleeve has a notch, which not only improves the discharge processing effect of the discharge electrode, but also provides a slag removal function.

(8) The clamping piece has a narrow slit structure that can stably clamp the object to be processed, and can effectively solve the problem that traditional EDM technology cannot cut the overlapping area between the clamping piece and the object to be processed. The locking structure can also achieve the effect of disassembly, assembly and adjustment.

(9) The clamping parts can be connected or bonded to the workpiece via the buffer components, which can effectively avoid the wafer cracking phenomenon often produced in traditional ingot cutting technology.

In order to help you have a deeper understanding of the technical features and technical effects of this creation, we would like to provide a better implementation example and detailed explanation as follows.

10: Discharge processing equipment

20: Carrier

21: Carrier plate

23a: First abutment element

23b: Second abutment element

24: Clamping piece

25: Narrow seam

25a: Auxiliary hole

27: Gasket

29: Buffer components

30: Discharge processing unit

32: Discharge electrode

32a: Conductive material layer

32b: Metal layer

32c: Diamond layer

32d: Dielectric material layer

32e: Discharge surface

33: Temperature control unit

34: Power supply unit

35: Temperature sensor

36: Jig

38: Tension measurement unit

39: Vibration measurement unit

40: Load-bearing components

41: Tank

50: Holding component

64: Slag discharge unit

64a:Thrust generating device

64b: Suction generating device

66: Guidance structure

68: Telescopic mechanism

69: Sensing element

80: Non-destructive testing device

100: Objects to be processed

110: Processing target area

120: Processing grooves

123a: first contact portion

123b: Second abutment portion

125: Guide groove

132: Insulation set

132a: Bottom plate

132b: Side wall

132c: container

132d: Open mouth

134: Gap

240: Locking structure

242: Bolts

244: Nut

A: Side

B: Discharge section

D: span

P1: Power supply

F, X, Y: direction

F2: External force

F21: Thrust

F22: Suction

R: discharge area

r:Cross section

Figure 1 is a front view schematic diagram of the EDM device of this invention, which shows the stage carrying the object to be processed via the carrier plate.

Figure 2 is a front view schematic diagram of the EDM device of this invention, which shows that the carrier carries the object to be processed through the clamping member.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the EDM device of this invention from above, which shows that the carrier carries the object to be processed through the clamping member. Figure 3 (A) and Figure 3 (B) show that the different thicknesses of the pad can be used to adjust the span of the slit accordingly.

FIG4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the discharge electrode of the discharge processing device of this invention, wherein FIG4(A) shows that the discharge electrode is composed of a metal layer, FIG4(B) shows that the discharge electrode is composed of a metal layer and a diamond layer, and FIG4(C) shows that the discharge electrode is composed of a metal layer and a dielectric material layer.

Figure 5 is a schematic top view of the discharge electrode of the discharge processing device of this invention covered with an insulating sleeve. Figure 5 (A) and Figure 5 (C) show that the processing groove has not yet been formed, and Figure 5 (B) shows that the processing groove has been formed.

FIG6 is a front view schematic diagram of the discharge electrode of the discharge processing device of this invention covered with an insulating sleeve. FIG6(A) and FIG6(C) show that the processing groove has not yet been formed, and FIG6(B) shows that the processing groove has been formed.

Figure 7 is a top view schematic diagram of the EDM process performed by the EDM device of this invention in a tank.

Figure 8 is a top view schematic diagram showing the slits of the slit structure of the EDM device of this invention being connected to each other.

FIG9 is a schematic top view of the slit structure of the discharge machining device of this invention, in which the slit type is a closed type without an opening, and FIG9(B) has an auxiliary hole compared to FIG9(A).

FIG10 is a schematic top view of the slit structure of the discharge machining device of this invention, in which the slit type is a single-side opening type, wherein FIG10(A), FIG10(B) and FIG10(C) respectively show the clamping member located above and on the side of the carrier.

Figure 11 is a schematic top view of the slit structure of the EDM device of this invention, in which the slit has a guide groove, wherein Figures 11(A), 11(B) and 11(C) respectively show the clamping parts located above and on the side of the carrier.

Figure 12 is a front view schematic diagram of the clamping piece of the EDM device of this invention, which is a single-side locking structure, wherein Figure 12 (A) and Figure 12 (B) respectively show two types of the clamping piece.

Figure 13 is a front view schematic diagram of the clamping part of the EDM device of this invention using a buffer member to indirectly clamp the object to be processed.

FIG14 is a schematic side view of the clamping member of the EDM device of this invention clamping the object to be processed, wherein FIG14(A) shows that the clamping member directly clamps the object to be processed, and FIG14(B) shows that the clamping member indirectly clamps the object to be processed.

Figure 15 is a front view schematic diagram of the EDM device of this invention having a slag removal unit.

FIG16 is a front view schematic diagram of the slag removal unit of the EDM device of the present invention performing slag removal, wherein FIG16(A) and FIG16(B) show the slag removal unit performing slag removal using different slag removal modes.

Figure 17 is a front view schematic diagram of the slag removal unit of the EDM device of this invention having a guide structure.

Figure 18 is a front view schematic diagram of the guide structure of the EDM device of this invention as an externally sealed baffle.

Figure 19 is a front view schematic diagram of the guide structure of the EDM device of this invention, which is a finger-fork structure.

Figure 20 is a front view schematic diagram of the guide structure of the EDM device of this invention, which is an arc-shaped structure.

Figure 21 is a front view schematic diagram of the guiding structure of the EDM device of this invention combined with the telescopic mechanism to perform the guiding action.

Figure 22 is a front view schematic diagram of the guide structure of the EDM device of this invention combined with the sensing element for slag discharge detection.

In order to facilitate understanding of the technical features, content and advantages of this creation and the effects it can achieve, this creation is described in detail as follows with diagrams and in the form of embodiments. The diagrams used are only for illustration and auxiliary instructions, and may not be the true proportions and precise configurations of this creation after implementation. Therefore, the proportions and configurations of the attached diagrams should not be interpreted to limit the scope of rights of this creation in actual implementation. In addition, for ease of understanding, the same elements in the following embodiments are indicated by the same symbols.

In addition, the terms used throughout the specification and patent application generally have the ordinary meaning of each term used in this field, in the content disclosed herein, and in the specific content, unless otherwise specified. Certain terms used to describe this creation will be discussed below or elsewhere in this specification to provide additional guidance to those skilled in the art in describing this creation.

The use of "first", "second", "third", etc. in this article does not specifically refer to the order or sequence, nor is it used to limit this creation. It is only to distinguish components or operations described by the same technical terms.

Secondly, the words "include", "including", "have", "contain", etc. used in this article are open terms, which means including but not limited to.

This invention proposes a discharge processing device and method for performing a discharge processing procedure on at least one object to be processed. In this invention, this discharge processing device and method can maintain the discharge processing procedure in a predetermined target processing state by improving the discharge processing unit. For example, the discharge processing unit can adjust the actual discharge energy of the discharge process in real time according to the change state of the discharge frequency or discharge energy in the discharge process of the discharge processing program. This invention can maintain the discharge processing program in a predetermined target processing state (such as maintaining the cutting speed, maintaining the maximum material removal rate (MRR), maintaining no broken wire, maintaining a predetermined surface roughness, maintaining a predetermined broken wire frequency or other states, etc.) by intelligently adjusting the discharge energy (such as the actual output energy). In addition, the EDM device and method of this invention further improves the EDM efficiency by improving the structural design of the EDM unit and the carrier.

FIG. 1 is a front view schematic diagram of the discharge processing device of the present invention, which shows that the carrier carries the object to be processed via a carrier plate. FIG. 2 is a front view schematic diagram of the discharge processing device of the present invention, which shows that the carrier carries the object to be processed via a clamping member. FIG. 3 is a top view schematic diagram of the discharge processing device of the present invention, which shows that the carrier carries the object to be processed via a clamping member. Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 simultaneously. The discharge processing device 10 of the present invention includes at least one carrier 20 and at least one discharge processing unit 30. The carrier 20 is used to carry at least one object to be processed 100. The carrier 20 of the invention is a fixed-position carrier, or a movable or rotatable carrier, wherein the carrier 20 of the invention may optionally have a carrier plate 21 (as shown in FIG. 1 ), or may optionally omit the carrier plate (as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 ). The above-mentioned types of carriers 20 are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention.

The object to be processed 100 mentioned above can be any conductor or semiconductor material, such as an ingot or wafer, or even any material suitable for discharge processing, and its shape is, for example, a block such as a cylinder or a sheet. The object to be processed 100 defines at least one processing target area 110, such as a single or multiple processing target areas 110. Taking semiconductor materials as an example, the object to be processed 100 is composed of a semiconductor material selected from the group consisting of silicon, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium nitride and silicon carbide. Taking multiple processing target areas 110 as an example, these processing target areas 110 are selectively located at any position suitable for processing in the object to be processed 100. The spacing of these processing target areas 110 corresponds to (for example, is the same as) the cutting thickness, thinning thickness or cutting spacing of the object 100 to be processed, and its value is adjusted according to the actual process requirements, so it is not limited to being equal or unequal to each other.

Please continue to refer to Figures 1 to 3. The discharge processing unit 30 includes at least one discharge electrode 32 and at least one power supply unit 34. The discharge electrode 32 of the discharge processing unit 30 extends along the second direction Y, so that the discharge section B of the discharge electrode 32 is parallel to the second direction Y, wherein the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X and the processing feed direction F. The discharge section B of the discharge electrode 32 and the processing target area 110 of the object to be processed 100 move relative to each other in a reciprocating or cyclic manner (for example, relative displacement is generated along the second direction Y shown in Figures 1 to 3), so as to perform a discharge processing procedure on the processing target area 110 of the object to be processed 100 on the carrier 20 along the processing feed direction F with the discharge electrode 32. The power supply unit 34 of the discharge processing unit 30 provides the power source P1 of the discharge energy to the discharge electrode 32 and the object to be processed 100 during the discharge processing process, so as to apply the discharge energy to the processing target area 110 of the object to be processed 100 through the discharge electrode 32 located in the discharge section B. The power supply unit 34 can be a set of power output or a plurality of sets of power outputs to supply the power source P1 mentioned above. The power supply unit 34 can also be electrically connected to the discharge electrode 32 in series or in parallel, as long as the discharge energy can be applied to the processing target area 110 of the object to be processed 100 through the discharge electrode 32, it can be applied to the present invention. In addition, in the present invention, the power supply unit 34 of the discharge processing unit 30 can be configured on the discharge processing device 10 in an integrated (integrated) or separated (detached) manner to supply power P1 to the object to be processed 100. For example, the configuration of the carrier 20 (and/or, together with the clamping member 24 thereon) and the power supply unit 34 can be, for example, an integrated (integrated) or separated (detached) design, wherein the carrier 20 can also selectively have a supporting plate 21. In other words, when the carrier 20 and the clamping member 24 thereon carry and clamp the object to be processed 100, the power supply unit 34 configured in an integrated (integrated) manner with the carrier 20 (and/or, together with the clamping member 24 thereon) can directly supply the above-mentioned power P1 to the object to be processed 100. Alternatively, the object to be processed 100 is first carried and clamped, and then the power supply unit 34 configured in a separate (detachable) manner is used to supply the above-mentioned power P1 to the object to be processed 100.

The power supply unit 34 of the discharge processing unit 30 provides a discharge energy to the discharge electrode 32 at a discharge frequency, so that the discharge processing unit 30 can perform a discharge processing procedure on the processing target area 110 of the object to be processed 100 on the carrier 20 through the discharge electrode 32 with at least one processing parameter along a processing feed direction F, such as cutting (Cutting), thinning (Thinning) and/or grinding (Electric Discharge Grinding, EDG) and other discharge processing procedures on the processing target area 110 of the object to be processed 100. The present invention is not limited to the stage 20 driving the workpiece 100 to move toward the discharge electrode 32 of the EDM unit 30 or the EDM unit 30 driving the discharge electrode 32 to move toward the workpiece 100. As long as the discharge electrode 32 of the EDM unit 30 and the workpiece 100 on the stage 20 can move relative to each other along the processing feed direction F, the present invention can be applied. The EDM unit 30 of the present invention has a processing control component (e.g., a processor) (not shown), which drives the stage 20 to move or drives the discharge electrode 32 to move toward the workpiece 100 via a servo mechanism (e.g., a stepping motor) (not shown). Since the discharge processing unit 30 has a processing control component and drives the carrier 20 or the discharge electrode 32 through a servo mechanism, which is a common technology, and a person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which this invention belongs should be able to understand how the discharge processing unit 30 has a processing control component and works with a servo mechanism based on the content disclosed in this invention, so it will not be further described here.

During the discharge process of the discharge machining procedure, when the structure of the discharge electrode 32 or the material removal rate of the workpiece 100 changes, for example, before the discharge electrode 32 breaks or when the material removal rate decreases, the discharge frequency or discharge energy (e.g., the discharge frequency or discharge energy per unit time) during the discharge process of the discharge machining procedure will change. The principle is that before the discharge electrode 32 breaks or when the material removal rate decreases (for example, when the material of the current cutting position of the workpiece 100 is harder or has lower conductivity), the normal discharge frequency will decrease and the arc discharge frequency will increase. The above-mentioned change in discharge frequency or discharge energy is, for example, that the change in discharge frequency or discharge energy exceeds a predetermined threshold value, or that the change in discharge frequency or discharge energy shows a trend, such as getting lower, getting higher, rising or falling sharply, or that the ratio of normal discharge to arc discharge exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

In detail, this work is based on the change state of the discharge frequency or discharge energy (e.g., the discharge frequency or discharge energy per unit time) during the discharge process of the discharge machining process, such as measuring or calculating whether the change in the discharge frequency or discharge energy exceeds a predetermined threshold value. If it exceeds, it means that the machining state of the discharge machining process (e.g., cutting speed, material removal rate, discharge electrode integrity or surface roughness, etc.) begins to change. Since the processing parameters of the EDM process and the internal and external characteristics of the object to be processed will affect the above-mentioned discharge frequency or the degree of change of the discharge energy, the present invention can adjust the actual output energy value corresponding to the processing parameters (e.g., the actual output energy value per unit time) in real time through a variety of adjustment schemes to enable the EDM process to maintain a predetermined target processing state (i.e., to avoid continuous changes in the processing state), such as maintaining a predetermined material removal rate (MRR), maintaining no broken wire, maintaining a predetermined surface roughness, maintaining a predetermined broken wire frequency or other states. Since this work can measure or calculate the discharge frequency or discharge energy by using the known discharge processing technology, and people with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which this work belongs should understand how to use the existing discharge processing technology to measure or calculate the change state of the discharge frequency or discharge energy based on the content disclosed in this work, the theoretical basis for measuring or calculating the discharge frequency or discharge energy and its measurement and calculation methods will not be further described here.

In the first adjustment scheme, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention adjusts the processing parameters such as the discharge frequency and/or discharge energy provided by the power supply unit 34, so as to adjust the actual output energy value corresponding to the processing parameters in real time during the discharge processing process, so that the discharge processing process is maintained in a predetermined target processing state. Among them, the present invention can adjust the discharge energy by adjusting the voltage, for example. In the second adjustment scheme, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention adjusts the actual output energy value in real time by adjusting other processing parameters other than the discharge frequency and/or discharge energy, such as adjusting the value of the processing parameter. For example, the first processing parameter value is adjusted to the second processing parameter value, so as to adjust the actual output energy value corresponding to the first processing parameter value to the actual output energy value corresponding to the second processing parameter value. The third adjustment scheme is to combine the first adjustment scheme with the second adjustment scheme, that is, to adjust the discharge frequency and/or discharge energy at the same time and adjust the first processing parameter value of other processing parameters to the second processing parameter value, so as to adjust the actual output energy value accordingly and in real time. The types of processing parameters of this creation include orientation parameters, discharge electrical parameters, slag removal parameters, and one or more of movement, tension parameters and vibration parameters. The orientation parameter is, for example, the processing direction of the discharge electrode relative to the object to be processed. Discharge electrical parameters include, for example, discharge frequency and discharge energy, and may also include, for example, peak current (maximum current passing between the two electrodes of the discharge electrode during discharge), voltage when the workpiece is far away from the discharge electrode, discharge pulse duration, discharge pulse rest time, and gap voltage corresponding to the discharge gap. Deslagging parameters include the flow rate of deslagging liquid provided on the discharge electrode, and the deslagging liquid is, for example, water, preferably deionized water, and the deslagging liquid is, for example, provided between the two end points of the discharge electrode. Movement and tension parameters include one or more of the movement speed of the discharge electrode, the tension of the discharge electrode, and the vibration of the discharge electrode. In addition, the processing parameters of the present invention may also selectively include the feedback adjustment speed of one or more of the above processing parameters. For example, the present invention may perform data analysis on the processing states corresponding to the discharge processing procedures of different objects 100 to be processed according to a plurality of processing parameters, so as to obtain processing parameters that affect the processing states of different objects 100 to be processed. The above different objects 100 to be processed may include, for example, differences in intrinsic characteristics (e.g., doping concentration, resistivity, defects or flaws) or extrinsic characteristics (e.g., thickness), such as objects to be processed with different doping concentrations or resistivity, or objects to be processed with different thicknesses. In addition, the invention can also selectively make a correspondence table of the internal and external characteristics of the above-mentioned object to be processed, the values and types of processing parameters, processing state, discharge frequency, discharge energy and actual output energy value. In this way, the invention can select the best value or type of processing parameter from the above-mentioned correspondence table for adjustment according to the required target result (i.e., target processing state). In short, the invention can select at least one of the values and types of multiple processing parameters according to the correspondence table for adjustment, so as to maintain the discharge processing process in the target processing state. The above-mentioned processing state is, for example, selected from the group consisting of the cutting speed, material removal rate, material consumption rate and surface roughness of the object to be processed 100 and the disconnection frequency of the discharge electrode 32. In addition, the present invention can also selectively perform a non-destructive inspection step on the object 100 to be processed, thereby obtaining the above-mentioned intrinsic characteristics. Taking the above-mentioned internal characteristics as defects or flaws as an example, the present invention can selectively use a non-destructive detection device 80, such as an ultrasonic detection device, an X-ray detection device or an infrared detection device, to perform a non-destructive detection step on the object 100 before, during or after the discharge processing procedure (such as cutting) of the object 100 to detect the internal state of the object 100 (such as an ingot or wafer) before, during or after cutting, such as the location or degree of defects or flaws, so as to make corresponding adjustments, and even the above-mentioned detection results can be fed back to the discharge processing device to match this non-destructive detection and one or more of the above-mentioned processing parameters to obtain the best processing parameters.

Please continue to refer to Figures 1 to 3. In the first embodiment, the two sides A of the discharge electrode 32 of the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention are against the fixture 36. The fixture 36 is, for example, composed of at least two supporting members 40 and at least two holding members 50 respectively correspondingly assembled, but not limited to this. The two sides A of the discharge electrode 32 are respectively movably or fixedly against the two supporting members 40, so that the discharge section B of the discharge electrode 32 is suspended, so as to perform the discharge processing procedure on the processing target area 110 of the object 100 to be processed through the discharge section B. The holding member 50 is detachably or fixedly assembled with the supporting member 40, and the fixture 36 is connected to a motion mechanism (e.g., a stepping motor) (not shown) through the holding member 50, wherein the motion mechanism is capable of causing the fixture 36 to rotate or move, and the discharge processing unit 30 can also drive the motion mechanism in combination with the above-mentioned servo mechanism through a processing control component, so as to jointly cause the discharge electrode 32 to reciprocate or cyclically move along the tension direction (Y axis) and move forward and backward along the processing feed direction (F axis). The discharge electrode 32 of the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention may have a fixed tension value, or may have an adjustable tension value, for example, by using the above-mentioned motion mechanism (not shown) to make the two fixtures 36 produce relative displacement, such as moving toward each other or moving away from each other, thereby adjusting the tension value of the discharge electrode 32. Among them, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention may optionally have a tension measurement unit 38 for measuring the tension value of the discharge electrode 32. The tension measurement unit 38 may be, for example, a known commercialized tension meter, so it is not further described here. In addition, the present invention may also optionally have a vibration measurement unit 39 for measuring the vibration value of the discharge electrode 32.

The shape of the discharge electrode 32 is, for example, linear, sheet-like, or other various shapes. The number of discharge electrodes 32 is, for example, one or more, and the number of objects 100 to be processed is, for example, one or more. Among these discharge electrodes 32, each discharge electrode 32 can selectively have an independently controlled processing feed speed, and the retractable wire assembly (such as a fixture 36) of each discharge electrode 32 can be independent or shared. Therefore, in the present invention, one or more discharge electrodes 32 can selectively, for example, perform a discharge processing procedure on the same or different one or more objects 100 to be processed, that is, a discharge processing procedure can be performed on one or more processing target areas 110 on the same or different objects 100 to be processed. When one or more discharge electrodes 32 respectively perform a discharge processing procedure on the same or different one or more objects to be processed 100, the discharge processing procedure will have a plurality of processing feed speeds accordingly. Therefore, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention can selectively use, for example, the slowest one of these processing feed speeds as a common processing feed speed. In this way, these discharge electrodes 32 can have a common processing feed speed. In other words, when multiple discharge electrodes 32 process the same object to be processed 100, the overall processing feed speed is determined by the slowest one. Similarly, since the object to be processed 100 is carried on the carrier 20, and if the carrier 20 is a movable carrier, the carrier 20 uses the above-mentioned common processing feed speed as the moving speed. However, the above is only an example and is not intended to limit the present invention. When the present invention is performing the discharge processing procedure, these discharge electrodes 32 can also selectively have independently controlled processing feed speeds, so that these discharge electrodes 32 can have their own processing feed speeds.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the discharge electrode 32 of the present invention may be composed of a conductive material layer 32a, wherein the material of the conductive material layer 32a is, for example, selected from the group consisting of copper, brass, molybdenum, tungsten, graphite, steel, aluminum, zinc, nickel and diamond. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the interior of the discharge electrode 32 is, for example, a metal layer 32b, and a diamond layer 32c is coated on the outer periphery of the metal layer 32b, thereby achieving a polishing effect (i.e., polishing while discharging) during the discharge process. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the interior of the discharge electrode 32 is, for example, a metal layer 32b, and a dielectric material layer 32d is coated on the outer periphery of the metal layer 32b, so that the discharge electrode 32 can be used as a capacitance sensing element during the discharge process, and by real-time detection of capacitance changes during the discharge process, the sensing capacitance value can be provided as a discharge feedback signal. The material of the dielectric material layer 32d is, for example, ceramic or Teflon, but is not limited to the above examples. The material of the metal layer 32b is, for example, selected from the group consisting of copper, brass, molybdenum, tungsten, steel, aluminum, zinc and nickel. The thickness of the discharge electrode 32 is less than about 300μm, and the thickness range is preferably about 30μm to about 300μm.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , FIG. 5(A), FIG. 5(C), FIG. 6(A) and FIG. 6(C) represent that the discharge electrode 32 has not formed a processing groove 120 on the object 100 to be processed, while FIG. 5(B) and FIG. 6(B) represent that the discharge electrode 32 has formed a processing groove 120 on the object 100 to be processed. The discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention selectively includes an insulating sleeve 132, and the insulating sleeve 132 is composed of an electrically insulating material. The insulating sleeve 132 of the present invention is sleeved on the outer side of the discharge electrode 32 along the tension direction of the discharge electrode 32 (i.e., the Y-axis direction). The insulating sleeve 132 is not limited to being fixed or movable and is set on the outer side of the discharge electrode 32, so that the relative position of the insulating sleeve 132 and the discharge electrode 32 in the tension direction can be fixed or relatively movable according to needs. The insulating sleeve 132 exposes at least one surface of the discharge electrode 32 in the processing feed direction F of the discharge processing procedure, so that the above-mentioned surface can be used as the discharge surface 32e when the discharge electrode 32 performs the discharge process of the discharge processing procedure. Among them, the insulating sleeve 132 partially covers the discharge electrode 32, but it is preferably to expose only the surface of the discharge electrode 32 in the processing feed direction F of the discharge processing procedure. This invention uses an insulating sleeve 132 to cover the periphery of the discharge electrode 32 (i.e., the surface outside the processing feed direction F) to reduce kerf loss (or material processing loss). This can effectively improve the problem that the traditional discharge electrode 32 and the object 100 to be processed are prone to unexpected damage. In this invention, the discharge area R formed by the discharge surface 32e exposed by the discharge electrode 32 during the discharge process is substantially larger than the cross-sectional area r of the insulating sleeve 132, so that the discharge electrode 32 and the insulating sleeve 132 can enter the processing groove 120, which means that the discharge area R only needs to be slightly larger than the cross-sectional area r of the insulating sleeve 132 to be applicable to this invention. In other words, the invention can improve the precision of discharge machining and avoid the problem of unintended damage to the conventional discharge electrode 32 and the object 100. For example, the insulating sleeve 132 includes a bottom plate 132a and two side walls 132b. The insulating sleeve 132 is disposed on the fixture 36 or the carrier 20 (as shown in FIG. 2 ) through the bottom plate 132a, or is disposed on the surrounding environment of the object 100. The two side walls 132b are located at the two ends of the bottom plate 132a to form a groove 132c, wherein the two ends of the groove 132c are open ends, and the interior of the groove 132c forms a chamber for accommodating the discharge electrode 32, and the groove 132c has an opening 132d connected to the chamber, and the insulating sleeve 132 exposes the discharge surface 32e of the discharge electrode 32 located in the chamber through the opening 132d. In one embodiment, the relative position of the insulating sleeve 132 and the discharge electrode 32 in the processing feed direction F of the discharge processing procedure is, for example, fixed, and the relative position of the insulating sleeve 132 and the discharge electrode 32 in the tension direction of the discharge electrode 32 is, for example, movable. In short, the discharge electrode 32 is movably sleeved in the insulating sleeve 132, and the insulating sleeve 132 and the discharge electrode 32 both move along the processing feed direction F (e.g., longitudinal displacement), but only the discharge electrode 32 is displaced left and right, while the insulating sleeve 132 is not displaced left and right. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in another embodiment, the relative positions of the insulating sleeve 132 and the discharge electrode 32 in the processing feed direction F of the discharge processing procedure and the tension direction of the discharge electrode 32 are, for example, fixed. In addition, although the insulating sleeve 132 is preferably only exposed to the surface of the discharge electrode 32 in the processing feed direction F, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the insulating sleeve 132 of the present invention selectively has one or more notches 134 (as shown in FIG. 6 (A), FIG. 6 (B), and FIG. 6 (C)), such as multiple micropores located on the side wall 132b, and the containing groove 132c can be connected to the outside through these notches 134 to provide slag removal (e.g., water or chip removal) function in the discharge processing procedure. The purpose of setting these notches is to discharge slag or water flow (i.e., the external force F2 generated by the slag removal unit 64 described in FIG. 17) and keep it away from the discharge electrode 32. Therefore, it is not limited to a specific orientation, position, size or quantity. As long as the insulating sleeve 132 can simultaneously protect the discharge electrode 32 and provide slag removal function, it can be applied to the present invention.

Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 and 7 again. In addition to dry discharge processing of the object 100 in a dry processing environment such as a gaseous fluid environment or a vacuum environment, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention can also immerse the object 100 in a liquid in the tank 41 or spray the liquid on the object 100 to perform wet discharge processing on the object 100 in a wet processing environment. The above-mentioned liquid is, for example, an aqueous solution or an electrolyte. In detail, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention can perform a discharge processing procedure on the processing target area 110 of the object 100 in a liquid such as an aqueous solution or an electrolyte. Taking the liquid as an electrolyte as an example, the discharge electrode 32 is electrically connected to the cathode of the power supply unit 34 (as shown in FIG. 1 ), and the object to be processed 100 is electrically connected to the anode of the power supply unit 34 , so that an electrolytic reaction can be generated simultaneously during the discharge processing procedure. The present invention can prevent the metal components of the discharge electrode 32 from dissolving in the electrolyte during the discharge processing procedure by means of the cathodic protection phenomenon of the electrolytic reaction, thereby reducing the fracture phenomenon of the discharge electrode 32 . The electrolytic reaction can cause the water in the electrolyte to generate hydrogen on the processing target area 110 of the object to be processed 100 , and the generation of hydrogen bubbles helps to remove the residue in the processing groove 120 , thereby improving the cleaning effect of the object to be processed 100 . Moreover, by using the principle that the same electrical properties repel each other, it is possible to prevent the negatively charged slag from adhering to the discharge electrode 32 or the processing groove 120.

The temperature range in which the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention can perform the discharge processing procedure is, for example, less than or equal to about 100 degrees Celsius, that is, the preset temperature in which the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention can perform the discharge processing procedure is any temperature value less than or equal to about 100 degrees Celsius. For example, the relatively low temperature range applicable to the present invention is, for example, from about 0 degrees Celsius to about 100 degrees Celsius, and for example, from about 22 degrees Celsius to about 100 degrees Celsius, and the above-mentioned preset temperature is any temperature value in this temperature range, such as room temperature. Since the maximum processing environment temperature required for the discharge processing of the present invention does not exceed 100 degrees Celsius, the present invention can even use a processing environment such as a tank 41 with an aqueous solution to perform the discharge processing, without using a traditional high-temperature oil solution, thereby greatly saving energy consumption and improving convenience. In addition, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention further selectively includes a temperature control unit 33 to provide a heat source and/or a cold source when performing the discharge processing. The heat source and/or the cold source may, for example, directly adjust the temperature of the object 100 to be processed, or indirectly adjust the temperature of the object 100 to be processed via various components of the discharge processing device, such as the clamping member 24 (as shown in FIG. 2 ), the guide structure 66 (as shown in FIG. 17 ), the carrier (as shown in FIG. 2 ), the discharge electrode 32 (as shown in FIG. 2 ), the supporting plate (as shown in FIG. 1 ), the insulating sleeve 132 (as shown in FIG. 5 ) and/or the liquid in the tank 41 (as shown in FIG. 7 ), thereby performing the discharge processing procedure on the object 100 to be processed within the above-mentioned temperature range or at a preset temperature. The temperature control unit 33 may include, for example, infrared rays, microwaves, or electric heaters as heat sources for heating elements, and may also include, for example, refrigerators as cold sources for cooling elements, wherein the cold source may be optionally used with an antifreeze agent to prevent freezing of the processing environment (e.g., the above-mentioned aqueous solution) of the discharge processing unit 30. In addition, the temperature control unit 33 may include, for example, a temperature sensor 35, and the temperature control unit 33 may detect whether the processing environment of the object 100 to be processed has reached a target temperature (e.g., the above-mentioned temperature range or preset temperature) through the temperature sensor 35, so as to maintain the processing environment at the target temperature. In addition, in order to further improve the processing efficiency, the invention can also add ozone (e.g., gaseous or liquid) or bubbles (e.g., microbubbles) to the processing environment (e.g., the above-mentioned aqueous solution) of the discharge processing unit 30, through oxidation, softening or explosion (e.g., implosion), which can not only increase the discharge processing speed and improve the discharge processing quality, but also help to remove the carbides or residues generated on the surface of the discharge electrode 32, thereby reducing the wear of the discharge electrode.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the carrier 20 of the EDM device 10 of the present invention optionally includes at least one clamping member 24, and the clamping member 24 applies force to the object 100 to be processed radially (as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 ) or axially to fix the object 100 to be processed. The clamping member 24 of the present invention may, for example, include a first abutting element 23a and a second abutting element 23b, wherein the first abutting element 23a and the second abutting element 23b respectively have a first abutting portion 123a and a second abutting portion 123b, respectively, for abutting against two opposite sides of the object 100 to be processed, for example, two opposite radial sides. At least one (e.g., both) of the first abutting element 23a and the second abutting element 23b of the clamping member 24 of the present invention has one or more slits 25 to form a slit structure, and the span D of the slit 25 is, for example, substantially greater than the width of the discharge electrode 32, so that the discharge electrode 32 can pass through the slit 25 into the clamping member 24. When the clamping member 24 clamps the object 100 to be processed, the slit 25 correspondingly exposes the processing target area 110 of the object 100 to be processed, and the position of the slit 25 corresponds to the position of the processing groove 120, for example, the slit 25 and the processing groove 120 are distributed along the processing feed direction F. The present invention can move the discharge electrode 32 along the slit 25 so as to perform a discharge processing procedure on the processing target area 110 of the object 100 clamped by the clamp 24, and form a processing groove 120 on the processing target area 110 of the object 100. The shapes of the first abutting portion 123a and the second abutting portion 123b can be similar, the same, or different from each other, and can be, for example, a plane, an arc surface, a curved surface, or other shapes, and preferably correspond to the shape of the object 100. For example, if the object 100 to be processed is a circular wafer, the first abutting element 23a and the second abutting element 23b respectively abut against the radial sides of the object 100 to be processed, and the first abutting portion 123a and the second abutting portion 123b may be, for example, arc-shaped, and may even be selectively partially or completely conformal to the contour of at least a portion of the periphery of the object 100 to be processed, thereby better and more stably clamping the object 100 to be processed. In addition, the degree to which the clamping member 24 of the present invention fits the object 100 to be processed (or, the degree to which it conforms to the object 100 to be processed) varies accordingly, for example, according to the degree of clamping between the clamping member 24 and the object 100 to be processed. For example, the contour of the clamping surface of the clamping member 24 (e.g., the surface of the first abutment portion 123a and the second abutment portion 123b) can be changed accordingly with the surface contour of the object 100 to be processed, so as to adjust the degree of conformality between the clamping surface of the clamping member 24 and the peripheral contour of the object 100 to be processed accordingly with the degree of clamping. In a feasible application example, the outer layer of the clamping member 24 is a clamping surface, and the outer layer is a deformable structure such as a soft surface layer or a flexible surface layer, or a deformable structure with restoring force, and the inner layer of the clamping member 24 is a support member, which is a structure that is not easily deformed. Therefore, before, during, and after the clamping member 24 locks the object 100 to be processed, the degree of adhesion of the clamping member 24 to the object 100 to be processed is different, so the degree of adhesion between the clamping surface of the clamping member 24 and the contour of the object 100 to be processed can be changed accordingly according to the degree of clamping. That is, when the clamping member 24 completely locks the object 100 to be processed, the degree of adhesion (conformity) between the clamping surface of the clamping member 24 and the contour of the object 100 to be processed reaches the highest level.

In addition, in the present invention, the number of slits 25 of the clamping member 24 can be one or more, wherein these slits 25 can be independent of each other (as shown in FIG. 3 ), or at least two slits 25 can be connected to each other (as shown in FIG. 8 ), so that the discharge electrode 32 can be moved from one slit 25 to another slit 25 through this connection design, so as to form a plurality of processing grooves 120 at different positions accordingly, and there is no need to disassemble the structure of the clamping member 24, and there is no need to reintroduce the discharge electrode 32.

The clamping member 24 of the present invention has a slit structure that can be used to stably clamp the object 100 to be processed, for example, to clamp the upper and lower ends of the object 100 to be processed (as shown in FIG. 2 ), and to allow the discharge electrode 32 to pass through the slit 25 of the slit structure and perform a discharge processing procedure on the object 100 to be processed along the extension direction of the slit 25 to form a processing groove 120, so that the discharge electrode 32 can be prevented from damaging the clamping member 24. In the present invention, the type of the slit 25 is selected from the group consisting of a closed type without an opening (as shown in FIG. 9 (A) and FIG. 9 (B)), a single-side opening type (as shown in FIG. 10 (A) and FIG. 10 (B)), and a double-side opening type (as shown in FIG. 3 ). Among them, taking the single-sided opening type or the double-sided opening type as an example, if the carrier 20 of the present invention has a corresponding single-sided or double-sided opening (as shown in Figures 10(A) and 11(A)), it will help the discharge electrode 32 to penetrate into the slit 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The carrier 20 may not have a corresponding single-sided or double-sided opening, or the clamping piece 24 of the present invention may be located on the side of the carrier 20 (as shown in Figures 10(B), 10(C), 11(B) and 11(C)), thereby facilitating the discharge electrode 32 to penetrate into the slit 25. The slit structure of the present invention is not limited to a specific size, material, number of slit openings or setting position. As long as the carrier 20 and/or the clamping member 24 can clamp the object 100 to be processed during the discharge processing, it falls within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. In other words, the span of the slit 25 of the slit structure and the distance between multiple slits 25 are not limited to being the same or different. In addition, the slits 25 of the clamping member 24 of the present invention are not limited to having equidistant spans, and the slits 25 may also selectively have non-equidistant spans (as shown in Figures 11(A) and 11(B) or as shown in Figure 9(B)). For example, the span at the end edge (e.g., the threading end) of the same slit 25 is greater than the span in the middle (e.g., the discharge processing end) of the slit to form a guide groove 125, and the edge of the guide groove 125 may also selectively be designed to be an outward convex arc shape (e.g., as shown in Figure 11(B)) or an inward concave arc shape (e.g., as shown in Figure 11(C)), thereby facilitating the introduction of the discharge electrode 32 into the slit 25 of the clamping member 24. In addition, taking the non-equidistant span as an example, the clamping member 24 (slit structure) of the present invention may also selectively have an auxiliary hole 25a connected to the slit 25, wherein the auxiliary hole 25a is, for example, located on one side or both sides of the slit 25 (as shown in FIG. 9 (B)). In this way, the present invention can first allow the discharge electrode 32 to pass through the auxiliary hole 25a, and then allow the discharge electrode 32 to move from the auxiliary hole 25a to the slit 25, so that the discharge electrode 32 can be more easily passed through the slit 25 of the clamping member 24. The slit 25 of the clamping member 24 of the present invention is not limited to having a fixed span, and the slit 25 may also selectively have an adjustable span. For example, the clamping member 24 of the present invention may selectively have at least one gasket 27 (as shown in FIG. 3 ), which is located in the slit 25 of the clamping member 24 and respectively supports the two side walls of the slit 25, so that the span of the slit 25 can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the gasket 27 (as shown in FIG. 3 (A)). Since the purpose of the gasket 27 is to adjust the span of the slit 25, the length of the gasket 27 is not particularly limited. However, if the length of the gasket 27 extends from the first abutting element 23a to the second abutting element 23b (as shown in FIG. 2 ), it can also provide additional stability to the overall structure of the clamping member 24.

In addition, in the present invention, the clamping member 24 is not limited to being fixed or detachably located on the carrier 20. Taking the detachable design as an example, the first abutting element 23a and the second abutting element 23b of the clamping member 24 can be detachably connected to each other, for example, by a lock-in structure 240, which can be a single-side lock-in structure (such as the two forms of the clamping member 24 shown in Figures 12 (A) and 12 (B)) or a double-side lock-in structure (as shown in Figure 2), and the second abutting element 23b below can also be selectively detachably connected to the carrier 20, for example, by a lock-in structure 240 (as shown in Figure 12). The clamping member 24 of the present invention can not only detachably clamp the object 100 to be processed by means of the locking structure 240, but also adjust the size of the clamping opening of the clamping member 24 according to the size of the object 100 to be processed. The locking structure 240 includes, for example, but not limited to, a bolt 242 and a nut 244 (as shown in Figures 2 and 12). The locking structure 240 of the present invention can be replaced with any structural design that enables the clamping member 24 to detachably clamp the object 100 to be processed according to actual needs, which means that as long as the detachable effect can be achieved, it falls within the scope of protection requested by the present invention.

In the present invention, the clamping member 24 can clamp the object 100 by direct contact (as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 14 (A)), or can clamp the object 100 by indirect contact (as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 (B)). Taking indirect contact as an example, the clamping member 24 is partially connected or bonded to the object 100 via a buffer member 29, wherein the material of the buffer member 29 is, for example, a conductor or an insulator, and it can be, for example, a solid medium, a soft medium, or an adhesive. For example, the buffer member 29 can be a conductive or non-conductive adhesive layer, or the buffer member 29 can also be a conductive (e.g., copper foil) or non-conductive soft pad, thereby providing abutment and buffering effects at the same time. In the present invention, the buffer member 29 can also be selectively fixed on the first abutting element 23a and the second abutting element 23b of the clamping member 24, or the buffer member 29 can also be selectively fixed on the object to be processed 100, or the buffer member 29 can also be selectively detachably located between the first abutting element 23a of the clamping member 24 and the object to be processed 100 and detachably located between the second abutting element 23b and the object to be processed 100. For example, the clamping member 24 uses copper foil as a buffer member 29, so as to clamp a part of the object 100 (such as a wafer) to be processed through the copper foil (such as about 100 μm thick). Therefore, the invention allows the part of the object 100 to be cut (such as a wafer) to be cut without direct contact with the clamping member 24, so that the wafer cracking phenomenon often produced in the traditional wafer cutting technology can be effectively avoided.

As shown in FIG. 15 , since the discharge electrode 32 generates slag when performing a discharge processing procedure on the object 100 to be processed, the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention optionally further includes a slag removal unit 64. When the discharge processing unit 30 performs a discharge processing procedure on the object 100 to be processed, the slag removal unit 64 is used to provide one or more external forces F2 to remove the slag generated by the discharge electrode 32 applying discharge energy to the object 100 to be processed. The application direction or application position of the external force F2 generated by the slag removal unit 64 is adjusted to correspond to the shape of the object 100 to be processed, so that the application direction or application position of the external force F2 corresponds to the discharge section B of the discharge electrode 32. The slag removal unit 64 may be, for example, one or more selected from the group consisting of an airflow generator, a waterflow generator, an ultrasonic generator, a piezoelectric oscillator, a suction generating element, and a magnetic generating element. The external force F2 may be, for example, one or more selected from the group consisting of airflow, waterflow, ultrasonic oscillation, piezoelectric oscillation, suction, and magnetic force. The slag removal unit 64 is not limited to being disposed on the fixture 36 or the stage 20, and may even be disposed around the discharge section B of the electrode 32. As shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 16 (A) and FIG. 16 (B), the slag removal unit 64 is a thrust generating device 64a, such as a water flow generator such as a water jet or an air flow generator such as an air jet and/or a suction generating device 64b (such as a water pump, etc.). The slag removal unit 64 can be, for example, disposed on the fixture 36 or the carrier 20, or disposed on the surrounding environment of the object to be processed 100. , wherein the thrust generating device 64a and the suction generating device 64b are respectively located at two opposite sides of the object to be processed 100, and generate two external forces F2 (thrust F21 and suction F22) in different directions. The thrust generating device 64a and the suction generating device 64b can respectively push and remove the slag generated during the discharge process of the discharge processing, so as to effectively improve the effect of removing the slag. Among them, the suction generating device 64b is preferably arranged on the moving path of the slag pushed by the external force F2. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to using the thrust generating device 64a and the suction generating device 64b at the same time, which means that the present invention can use the thrust generating device 64a or the suction generating device 64b alone, as long as it helps to remove the residue, it falls within the scope of protection requested by the present invention.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 17 , the deslagging unit 64 of the discharge processing unit 30 of the present invention optionally further includes a guide structure 66 for guiding the external force F2 (e.g., thrust) generated by the deslagging unit 64 to the processing groove 120 on the processing target area 110 of the object 100 to be processed, thereby producing the effect of assisting deslagging. The guide structure 66 can be, for example, disposed on the fixture 36 or the carrier 20 (as shown in FIG. 2 ), or disposed on the surrounding environment of the object 100 to be processed. The guide structure 66 is a baffle, and for example, an externally sealed baffle (as shown in FIG. 18 ), which is used to cover the area on the processing target area 110 of the object 100 to be processed that has not yet undergone the discharge processing procedure, and to move synchronously with the discharge electrode 32. The guide structure 66 is, for example, a finger-fork structure (as shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 ), which has one or more finger-fork baffles corresponding to the processing groove 120 on the processing target area 110 of the object 100 to be processed. The cross-sectional shape of the finger-fork structure can be, for example, a straight line or a curve, and can be, for example, a straight line (as shown in FIG. 17 ), an arc (as shown in FIG. 20 ) or a U-shape (as shown in FIG. 18 ).

In the present invention, the guide structure 66 is manually (as shown in FIG. 17 ) or automatically (as shown in FIG. 18 ) accompanied by the discharge electrode 32 in the discharge processing procedure to change the position or angle of the guide external force, so as to guide the external force F2 (such as water flow or air flow, etc.) provided by the slag removal unit 64 to the discharge processing position of the processing groove 120 of the object 100 to be processed in the discharge processing procedure currently performed by the discharge electrode 32. In addition, the guide structure 66 of the present invention can be a filling baffle, which can be moved along the processing feed direction F, for example. For example, the guide structure 66 of the present invention is used to move the discharge electrode 32 that accompanies the discharge machining process in the machining groove 120 of the machining target area 110 of the object 100 to be processed, so as to synchronously move along the machining feed direction F to the discharge machining position on the machining groove 120 of the machining target area 110 where the discharge machining process has been completed. As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 21 , in one embodiment, the guide structure 66 may be, for example, a telescopic baffle. The guide structure 66 is matched with a telescopic mechanism 68 and has a telescopic elastic force, so as to automatically or manually accompany the discharge electrode 32 to move synchronously to guide the external force F2, and, for example, when the discharge electrode 32 performs the discharge processing procedure, automatically maintains the processing groove 120 adjacent to or abutting the processing target area 110 of the object 100 to be processed, for example, adjacent to or abutting the outer side or inner side of the processing groove 120 of the object 100 to be processed. The guiding structure 66 (telescopic baffle) and the telescopic mechanism 68 can achieve the effect of automatic telescopic extension, for example, by means of a spring or a telescopic rod (e.g., a sleeve-type telescopic rod), as shown in FIG21. In addition, the guiding structure 66 of the invention can also be selectively matched with the structure shown in FIG7 when in use, so that the guiding structure 66 can selectively adjust the position and angle in the slit 25 shown in FIG7, thereby achieving the effect of guiding external force.

In addition, as shown in FIG22 , the guiding structure 66 of the present invention can also be optionally matched with a sensing element 69, which is used to detect the slag discharge status or the external force F2 guiding status, and can be a sensing component such as a residual slag quantity sensor, an air flow sensor or a water flow sensor, etc., to adjust the angle or position of the guiding structure 66 according to the sensing result of the sensing element 69, so as to achieve the optimal slag discharge effect and guiding effect.

In summary, the EDM device of this invention has the following advantages and effects:

(1) By adjusting the actual discharge energy value of the discharge process according to the change of the discharge frequency or discharge energy during the discharge process, the discharge processing program can be maintained at the predetermined target processing state.

(2) The slag removal unit can provide external force to assist in removing the slag remaining in the processing groove.

(3) The guiding structure can correctly guide the external force provided by the slag removal unit to the EDM position of the current EDM process.

(4) The discharge electrode can be used as a capacitance sensing element to provide instantaneous sensing capacitance value as a discharge feedback signal.

(5) The insulating sleeve covers the discharge electrode and exposes the discharge surface of the discharge electrode in the processing feed direction, which can reduce the cut loss (cutting material loss) and improve the precision of discharge processing. Therefore, it can effectively improve the problem that the traditional discharge electrode and the object to be processed are prone to unexpected damage.

(6) The insulating sleeve covering the discharge electrode can make the discharge electrode less vibrating and can also enhance the external force for slag removal (such as water flow or air flow) to achieve the chip removal effect. The insulating sleeve can make the workpiece (such as a wafer) less vibrating after cutting, reducing the risk of fragmentation. Moreover, the insulating sleeve can use the external force for slag removal (such as water flow or air flow) to reduce the friction between the insulating sleeve and the discharge electrode to avoid damage to the discharge electrode. In addition, the insulating sleeve can also provide local heating at the same time.

(7) The insulating sleeve has a notch, which not only improves the discharge processing effect of the discharge electrode, but also provides a slag removal function.

(8) The clamping piece has a narrow slit structure that can stably clamp the object to be processed, and can effectively solve the problem that traditional EDM technology cannot cut the overlapping area between the clamping piece and the object to be processed. The locking structure can also achieve the effect of disassembly, assembly and adjustment.

(9) The clamping parts can be connected or bonded to the workpiece via the buffer components, which can effectively avoid the wafer cracking phenomenon often produced in traditional ingot cutting technology.

The above is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. Any equivalent modification or change made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention shall be included in the scope of the patent application attached hereto.

10: Discharge processing equipment

20: Carrier

23a: First abutment element

23b: Second abutment element

24: Clamping piece

25: Narrow seam

27: Gasket

30: Discharge processing unit

32: Discharge electrode

34: Power supply unit

36: Jig

40: Load-bearing components

50: Holding component

100: Objects to be processed

110: Processing target area

123a: first contact portion

123b: Second abutment portion

240: Locking structure

242: Bolts

244: Nut

A: Side

B: Discharge section

P1: Power supply

F, X, Y: direction

Claims (50)

A discharge processing device is used to perform a discharge processing procedure on at least one object to be processed, comprising: at least one carrier for carrying the object to be processed, the object to be processed defining at least one processing target area; and at least one discharge processing unit, comprising at least one discharge electrode and a power supply unit, wherein the power supply unit provides a discharge energy to the discharge electrode at a discharge frequency, and the discharge processing unit performs the discharge processing procedure on the processing target area of the object to be processed carried by the carrier via the discharge electrode with at least one processing parameter, wherein the discharge processing unit adjusts an actual output energy value correspondingly according to a change state of the discharge frequency or the discharge energy in a discharge process of the discharge processing procedure, so that the discharge processing procedure is maintained in a target processing state. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein the discharge machining unit adjusts the discharge frequency and/or the discharge energy provided by the power supply unit to adjust the actual output energy value in real time when the discharge machining process is performed, so that the discharge machining process is maintained in the target machining state. The discharge processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the discharge processing unit adjusts the processing parameters to correspondingly adjust the actual output energy value in real time. The EDM device as described in claim 3, wherein the EDM unit adjusts the processing parameters correspondingly according to an internal or external feature of the object to be processed, so that the EDM process is maintained in the target processing state. The discharge machining device as described in claim 4, wherein the types of machining parameters are plural, and the discharge machining process selects at least one of the types of machining parameters for adjustment, so that the discharge machining process is maintained in the target machining state. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein the target machining state is selected from the group consisting of the cutting speed, material removal rate, material consumption rate and surface roughness of the object to be machined and the disconnection frequency of the discharge electrode. The EDM device as described in claim 1, wherein the EDM unit performs the EDM process on the processing target area of the object to be processed at a preset temperature, and the preset temperature is less than or equal to 100 degrees Celsius. The EDM device as described in claim 1, wherein the EDM unit performs the EDM process on the processing target area of the object to be processed in a temperature range, wherein the object to be processed has a substantially minimum resistivity in the temperature range. The discharge machining device as described in claim 7 or 8, wherein the discharge machining unit performs the discharge machining process on the processing target area of the object to be processed in an aqueous solution. The discharge machining device as described in claim 9, wherein the object to be machined is a semiconductor material. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein the carrier further comprises at least one clamping member, the clamping member is a slit structure, and the clamping member applies radial or axial force to the object to be processed to fix the object to be processed. The discharge machining device as described in claim 11, wherein the type of the slit of the slit structure is selected from the group consisting of a closed type with no opening, a single-side opening type, and a double-side opening type. The discharge machining device as described in claim 11, wherein the clamping member is a fixed or detachable single-side locking structure or double-side locking structure for clamping the object to be processed. The EDM device as described in claim 11, wherein the slit structure has one or more slits, and each of the slits has the same or different spans. The discharge machining device as described in claim 11, wherein the slit structure has one or more slits, and the distance between each two adjacent slits is the same or different. The EDM device as described in claim 11, wherein the slit structure has at least one slit, and the slit has a non-equidistant span or an adjustable span. The EDM device as described in claim 11, wherein the slit structure has a plurality of slits, and at least two of the plurality of slits are interconnected. The discharge machining device as described in claim 11, wherein the clamping member and the object to be machined are partially connected or bonded via a conductor or an insulator. The discharge machining device as described in claim 18, wherein the conductor or the insulator is a solid medium, a soft medium or an adhesive. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1 further comprises a slag removal unit for providing at least one external force to remove the slag generated when the discharge electrode performs the discharge machining process on the object to be processed. The discharge machining device as described in claim 20, wherein the external force is selected from one or more of the group consisting of air flow, water flow, ultrasonic vibration, piezoelectric vibration, suction and magnetic force. The discharge machining device as described in claim 20, wherein the slag removal unit further comprises a guide structure for guiding the external force to a machining groove of the discharge electrode for performing the discharge machining process on the machining target area of the object to be machined. The discharge machining device as described in claim 22, wherein the guiding structure is manually or automatically accompanied by the discharge electrode that is performing the discharge machining process to change the position or angle of the external force, so as to guide the external force to a discharge machining position of the machining groove of the object to be machined where the discharge electrode is currently performing the discharge machining process. The discharge machining device as described in claim 22, wherein the guide structure accompanies the discharge electrode in the machining groove of the machining target area of the object to be machined, so as to synchronously move the discharge machining position on the machining groove of the machining target area where the discharge machining process has been completed. The discharge machining device as described in claim 22, wherein the guide structure is an externally sealed baffle plate, which is used to cover an area on the processing target area of the object to be processed where the discharge machining process has not yet been performed, and moves synchronously with the discharge electrode. The discharge machining device as described in claim 22, wherein the guide structure is a finger-fork structure corresponding to the machining groove on the machining target area of the object to be machined. The discharge processing device as described in claim 22, wherein the guide structure is equipped with a telescopic mechanism to automatically move synchronously with the discharge electrode to guide the external force. The EDM device as described in claim 22, wherein the guide structure is matched with a sensing element for adjusting the guiding effect of the guide structure according to a sensing result of the sensing element. The EDM device as described in claim 1, 7 or 8 further comprises a temperature control unit to provide a heat source and/or a cold source when performing the EDM process to directly or indirectly adjust the temperature of the object to be processed. The electrodischarge machining device as described in claim 29, wherein the heat source is infrared, microwave or electric heater. The discharge machining device as described in claim 29, wherein the cold source is used in conjunction with an antifreeze agent to prevent freezing of a machining environment of the discharge machining unit. The discharge processing device as described in claim 29, wherein the temperature control unit has a temperature sensor to determine whether a processing environment of the object to be processed has reached a target temperature, so as to maintain the processing environment at the target temperature. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein ozone or bubbles are added to a machining environment of the discharge machining unit to improve machining efficiency by oxidation, softening or explosion. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein the material of the discharge electrode is selected from the group consisting of copper, brass, molybdenum, tungsten, graphite, steel, aluminum, zinc, nickel and diamond. The discharge processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the interior of the discharge electrode is a metal layer, and the discharge electrode has a dielectric material layer or a diamond layer covering the outer periphery of the metal layer. The discharge machining device as described in claim 35, wherein during the discharge process of the discharge machining procedure, the discharge electrode is used as a capacitance sensing element to provide a sensing capacitance value. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein when the number of the discharge electrode and at least one of the objects to be machined is plural, the discharge machining process has plural machining feed speeds correspondingly, and the discharge machining unit uses the slowest of the plural machining feed speeds as a common machining feed speed. The discharge machining device as described in claim 37, wherein the carrier is a movable carrier, and the carrier uses the common machining feed speed as the moving speed. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1 or 37, wherein the number of the discharge electrodes is plural, and each of the plural discharge electrodes has an independently controlled machining feed speed. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1 or 37, wherein the number of the discharge electrodes and the objects to be machined are both plural, and the plural discharge electrodes perform the discharge machining process on the same or different objects to be machined. The discharge processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the discharge processing unit further comprises an insulating sleeve, which is sleeved on the outer side of the discharge electrode and exposes at least one surface of the discharge electrode in a processing feed direction, so as to use the surface as a discharge surface when the discharge electrode performs the discharge process. The discharge processing device as described in claim 41, wherein the discharge surface exposed by the discharge electrode forms a discharge area substantially larger than the cross-section of the insulating sleeve during the discharge process. The discharge processing device as described in claim 41, wherein the relative positions of the insulating sleeve and the discharge electrode in a processing feed direction of the discharge processing procedure are fixed, and the relative positions of the insulating sleeve and the discharge electrode in a tension direction of the discharge electrode are movable. The discharge processing device as described in claim 41, wherein the insulating sleeve comprises a bottom plate and two side walls, the two side walls are located at two ends of the bottom plate to form a receiving groove, the interior of the receiving groove forms a receiving chamber for accommodating the discharge electrode, and the receiving groove has an opening connected to the receiving chamber for exposing the discharge surface of the discharge electrode located in the receiving chamber. The discharge machining device as described in claim 41, wherein the insulating sleeve is sleeved on the outer side of the discharge electrode along a tension direction of the discharge electrode, and the insulating sleeve has one or more notches to provide drainage and chip removal functions in the discharge machining process. The discharge processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the carrier further comprises at least one clamping member, and a conformal degree between a clamping surface of the clamping member and a contour of the object to be processed changes correspondingly according to a clamping degree between the clamping member and the object to be processed, so as to change a degree of adhesion between the clamping surface of the clamping member and the contour of the object to be processed accordingly. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein the power supply unit of the discharge machining unit is integrated or separately configured on the discharge machining device to supply a power source of the discharge energy to the object to be processed. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1 further includes a non-destructive detection device for detecting the object to be machined before, during or after the discharge machining process. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein the discharge machining unit further comprises a vibration measuring unit for measuring the vibration value of the discharge electrode. The discharge machining device as described in claim 1, wherein the discharge machining unit further comprises a tension measuring unit for measuring the tension value of the discharge electrode.