Polishing of Polycrystalline Diamond Films

9361367 Oakes描述了一种用于多晶金刚石薄膜抛光的创新技术，该技术使用高通量，高平动能（5至10伏）原子氧束在扫射入射下蚀刻表面粗糙度。该方法在反应性腐蚀能范围内工作，在高通量下，这是任何其他化学或物理方法无法获得的。因此，该技术能够在低衬底温度下实现高抛光速率（0.2微米/分钟）。此外，它是非侵入性的，本质上是可扩展的大面积（1000平方厘米）抛光。在与工业界的合作努力下，高效，高速率的金刚石蚀刻与显著程度的表面精加工已被证明。现有的抛光技术存在以下一个或多个缺陷：抛光速度慢，抛光面积小，抛光时衬底温度高，需要积极处理金刚石膜或衬底，以及由于与高能离子相互作用而导致缺陷和杂质掺入金刚石膜的可能性。所提出的技术能够克服所有这些缺陷。由于金刚石优异的性能，金刚石薄膜具有广泛的潜在商业应用。特别是，抛光的多晶薄膜具有光学和摩擦学方面的应用。金刚石作为散热器的应用也将受益于这项技术。

9361367 Oakes An innovative technique for the polishing of polycrystalline diamond films is described which uses a high flux, high translational energy (5 to 10 volt) atomic oxygen beam at glancing incidence to etch surface roughness. The method operates in a reactive etchant energy range, at high flux, that is not obtained by any other chemical or physical method. As a result, the technique is capable of high polishing rates (0.2 micrometers/min) at low substrate temperatures. In addition, it is non intrusive and is intrinsically scalable for large area (1000 cm2) polishing. In a collaborative effort with industry, efficient, high rate diamond etching with a significant degree of surface finishing has been demonstrated. Existing polishing techniques suffer from one or more of the following deficiencies: slow polishing rate, small polishing areas, high substrate temperatures during polishing, the need to aggressively handle the diamond film or substrate, and the potential for defect and impurity incorporation into the diamond film resulting from interaction with energetic ions. The proposed technique is capable of overcoming all of these deficiencies. Due to diamonds superlative properties the potential commercial applications of diamond films are extensive. In particular, polished polycrystalline films have optical and tribological applications. Application of diamond as a heat sink will also benefit from this technique.