Study on Ion Beam Machining of Diamond Tools

金刚石刀具可作为显微刀具和眼科仪器的刀具，单点金刚石刀具可用于铝等软质材料的超精密车削。这些工具通常由机械抛光制成；也就是说，使用精细的金刚石粉和软材料的搭板。然而，将该工艺应用于刃口半径为10nm（纳米）的锋利金刚石工具的抛光是非常困难的。本文讨论了一种机械研磨与离子束加工相结合的刃口成形新工艺，并利用带两个二次电子探测器的扫描电镜测量了金刚石刀具刃口半径，得到了以下结果：(1)利用轮廓扫描电镜可以测量金刚石工具的尖端半径，认为成形金刚石工具的尖端半径小于20 nm。(2) 20个氩离子可形成顶点角为50度的金刚石刀。(3)离子束加工容易得到棱角锋利直、表面形貌优良的金刚石刀具。

Diamond tools can be used as knives of an ultramicrotome and ophthalmic sergon's instrument, and single point diamond tools for ultraprecision turning of soft materials such as aluminum. The tools are usually made by mechanical polishing; that is, using fine diamond powder and a lap-plate of soft materials. However it is very difficult to apply this process to the polishing of diamond tools having a sharp cutting edge of tip radius of ten nm (nanometer). In this study, a new edge forming process combined mechanical lapping with ion beam machining and measurment of the tip radius of diamond tools using the profile SEM having two secondary electron detectors were discussed, and the following results are obtained.(1) The tip radius of the diamond tools can be measured using profile SEM, and the tip radius of the formed diamond tools is considered less than 20 nm.(2) The diamond knives having apex angle of 50 degrees can be formed with 20 keV Ar ions.(3) Diamond tools having sharp and straight dege and fine surface topography can be easily obtaibed by ion beam machining.