Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices are components that make use of the ability of piezoelectric materials to convert acoustic (i.e. mechanical) waves into electromagnetic signals, and vice-versa.   By far, the most common SAW devices are SAW Band Pass Filters (SAW BPF) which sort signals by frequency.  The most widely used substrates are quartz (SiO2), lithium niobate (LiNbO3) and Lithium tantalite (LiTaO3) that are very brittle materials.

Major Considerations:

Cut quality:

• Chipping

Saw:

Automatic (7120 series) or fully automatic (7220 series) dicing systems enhanced process control tools with a very high automation level

Blade:

• Quartz:
  2″ Resin blades “Q” and “K” matrixes with 25 – 53 micron 
• Lithium niobate and tantalite:
  2″ Resin blades “Q” and “K” matrixes with 9 – 30 micron 
  2″ Nickel hub blades with 4-8 micron 

Process Parameters:

• Quartz:
  Feed rate:  2 – 10 mm/sec 
  Spindle speed: 25 – 30 krpm
• Lithium niobate and tantalite:
  Feed rate: 0.1 – 5 mm/sec 
  Spindle speed: 25 – 30 krpm