Presidential Young Investigator Award: Precision Finishing of Ceramics

陶瓷被广泛应用于精密电子和生物应用，如传感器、生物植入物和磁头，并有潜力用于机械部件，如发动机和轴承。考虑到对高精度的要求，用于这些应用的陶瓷表面主要通过切片、研磨和精细加工过程来产生，例如研磨和抛光。这些工艺改变了陶瓷的近表面机械和电磁性能，导致它们在系统中的性能恶化。因此，迫切需要了解这些影响，并能够通过适当的整理/后整理工艺来控制它们。这项研究的目的是了解陶瓷精加工的科学和技术，以产生高质量的原子光滑表面。这项研究将使用成熟的表面表征技术，如X射线衍射、电子和隧道显微镜来表征成品陶瓷表面的近表面变形。它将量化变形引起的近表面电磁和机械性能的变化。为了了解精加工过程中的材料去除机理及其对近表面性能的影响，将开展一系列的研究。通过整合上述对工艺-性能的理解，将开发出用于生成表面质量可控的陶瓷表面的精细加工工艺。

Ceramics are widely used in precision electronics and biological applications such as sensors, bio-implants, and magnetic heads, and have potential for use in mechanical components such as engines and bearings. In view of the high accuracy required, ceramic surfaces for these applications are generated primarily by slicing, grinding and fine finishing processes such as lapping and polishing. The processes alter the near-surface mechanical and electromagnetic properties of the ceramic causing their performance in systems to deteriorate. Therefore, a critical need exists to understand these effects and to be able to control them through suitable finishing/post- finishing processes. The goal of this research is to understand the science and technology of ceramic finishing to generate atomically smooth surfaces of high quality. The research will use well developed surface characterization techniques such as x-ray diffraction, electron and tunnelling microscopy to characterize the near-surface deformation in finished ceramic surfaces. It will quantify deformation induced changes in the near-surface electromagnetic and mechanical properties. A series of studies will be carried out to understand the material removal mechanism during fine- finishing and its influence on the near-surface properties. By integrating the process-property understanding developed above, fine-finishing processes will be developed for generating ceramic surfaces with controlled surface quality.