Investor Updates
German-Australian collaboration results in next-generation carbon saw
10 September
Scientists from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have developed a diamond-coated yarn that could reduce costs in the solar and semiconductor industries.
The yarn is set to form the basis of a next-generation saw capable of minimising waste when cutting through silicon wafers, and its development adds to Australia’s track record for collaboration and innovation.
Manufacturing yarns, or nanothreads, from carbon nanotubes is a process for which CSIRO is known worldwide and is key to the new technology.
Manuel Mee, a Fraunhofer Institute physicist, has found a way to coat the ultra-thin, extremely stable nanothreads with diamond.
The diamond-coating process had been problematic because the compound used to encourage diamonds to grow on nanotubes damaged the nanotubes.
Largely through serendipity, Mr Mee found that fused silica allows diamonds to form, yet protects the nanotubes.
“The new saw wires held out the promise of being far superior to traditional steel wires,” Mr Mee said.
“Because of their high tensile strength, they can be manufactured much thinner than steel wires – and that means significantly less kerf loss.”
Kerf loss is basically sawdust. Reducing it lowers costs, an attractive proposition for industries involving silicon wafers.
Fraunhofer and CSIRO have filed a joint patent application for the process and related products, and the collaborators are conducting tests to bring the development to market as quickly as possible.
“To be able to show our partners in industry the potential the technology holds, we have to demonstrate how it can help solar companies save material when processing wafers,” Mr Mee said.
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