Patent ID: 6923171

Claim:
An apparatus for cutting single crystals having a longitudinal center axis (M), the apparatus comprising: a cutting device for cutting off wafers from the single crystal, the cutting device comprising a wire saw having a plurality of parallel wires which form a wire cutting plane; a feed device for moving the crystal in a feed direction (V) essentially perpendicular to its longitudinal center axis relative to the cutting device; a holder for the single crystal, wherein the single crystal can be positioned in the cutting apparatus such that a predetermined crystallographic direction (K) has a predetermined angle relative to the feed direction (V); an angle measuring device for measuring the orientation of an end face of the single crystal relative to the wire plane and; an orienting device provided in the apparatus for orienting the single crystal relative to the cutting device, the orienting device being structured and arranged to rotate the single crystal about an axis defined by the feed direction and an axis which is perpendicular to the plane which is defined by the longitudinal center axis (M) and the feed direction (V); wherein the orienting device comprises an X-Y positioning unit with which the single crystal is displaceable in a plane parallel to the wire plane and in a plane perpendicular to the wire plane.