The effects of the silicon wafer resistivity on the performance of microelectrical discharge machining

In this study, the performance of Si wafer machining by employing the die-sinking microelectrical discharge machining technique is reported. Specifically, the machining performance was examined on both high- (1–10 Ω cm) and low-resistivity (0.001–0.005 Ω cm) Si wafers by means of using a range of discharge energies. In this regard, the machining time, material removal rate, surface quality, surface roughness, and material mapping, which are categorized among the important properties in micromachining, have been investigated. In order to analyze the surface properties and to perform the elemental analysis, the scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used. In contrast, the 3D surface profiler was used to evaluate the roughness of machined surface. The results of this experimental study revealed that the electrical resistivity and discharge energy parameter of microelectrical discharge machining had a great influence on the Si wafer machining performances. The observations in this study indicated a decrease in machining time, high material removal rate, and high surface roughness with an increased discharge energy values. Overall, it was learnt that the minimum amount of energy required to machine Si wafer was 5 μJ for both low and high-resistivity Si. In addition, the highest material removal of 5.842 × 10^?5 mm³/s was observed for low-resistivity Si. On the contrary, the best surface roughness, R _a, of 0.6203 μm was achieved for high-resistivity Si and it also pointed to a higher carbon percentage after the machining process.