Microscopic Removal Function and the Relationship Between Slurry Particle Size Distribution and Workpiece Roughness During Pad Polishing

Various ceria and colloidal silica polishing slurries were used to polish fused silica glass workpieces on a polyurethane pad. Characterization of the slurries' particle size distribution (PSD) (using both ensemble light scattering and single particle counting techniques) and of the polished workpiece surface (using atomic force microscopy) was performed. The results show the final workpiece surface roughness is quantitatively correlated with the logarithmic slope of the distribution function for the largest particles at the exponential tail end of the PSD. Using the measured PSD, fraction of pad area making contact, and mechanical properties of the workpiece, slurry, and pad as input parameters, an Ensemble Hertzian Gap (EHG) polishing model was formulated to estimate each particle's penetration, load, and contact zone. The model is based on multiple Hertzian contact of slurry particles at the workpiece–pad interface in which the effective interface gap is determined through an elastic load balance. Separately, ceria particle static contact and single pass sliding experiments were performed showing ~1‐nm depth removal per pass (i.e., a plastic type removal). Also, nanoindentation measurements on fused silica were made to estimate the critical load at which plastic type removal starts to occur (P_crit~5 × 10^?5 N). Next the EHG model was extended to create simulated polished surfaces using the Monte Carlo method where each particle (with the calculated characteristics described above) slides and removes material from the silica surface in random directions. The polishing simulation utilized a constant depth removal mechanism (i.e., not scaling with particle size) of the elastic deformation zone cross section between the particle and silica surface, which was either 0.04 nm (for chemical removal) at low loads (<P_crit) or 1.0 nm (for plastic removal) at intermediate loads (>P_crit). The simulated surfaces quantitatively compare well with the measured rms roughness, power spectra, surface texture, absolute thickness material removal rate, and load dependence of removal rate.     

Effect of mixed-shaped silica sol abrasives on surface roughness and material removal rate of zirconia ceramic cover

Zirconia ceramic, as mobile phone body-materials, will become increasingly important with the coming of 5G communication technology. Surface quality and material removal rate of zirconia ceramic cover are vital factors to determine its wide application. Therefore, mixed-shaped silica sol abrasives were prepared by ion connecting-inducting method and applied to achieve a good surface quality and a high material removal rate on zirconia ceramic cover by using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Mixed-shaped silica sol abrasives contained spherical and beaded shapes were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Si–O–Al bonds were formed in the mixed-shaped silica sol abrasives and were proved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results of CMP tests showed that zirconia ceramic cover obtained a low surface roughness of 1.824 nm and an efficient material removal rate of 0.33 μm/h. Compared with traditional spherical silica sol abrasives, the polishing rate of mixed-shaped silica sol abrasives increased by 242%. Additionally, solid-phase chemical reactions happened to formed ZrSiO₄, ZrAl₂Si₂O₉ in the CMP process. Moreover, friction coefficient was tested and polishing mechanism had been explored by a contact-friction model in this work.     

Experimental investigation of ultrasonic-vibration polishing of K9 optical glass based on ultrasonic atomization

K9 optical glass has an important position in the field of optical material because of its excellent chemical stability and optical projection. The hard and brittle characteristics of K9 optical glass make conventional processing difficult and time-consuming. A non-conventional hybrid polishing system combining ultrasonic atomization (UA) spraying method and axial ultrasonic vibration was developed for processing K9 optical glass. This system utilizes the high-frequency vibration characteristics of ultrasonic vibration technology: On the one hand, the ultrasonic atomization spraying method is used to generate evenly distributed atomized droplets for polishing, on the other hand, the axial ultrasonic vibration of the polishing tool provides impact kinetic energy for the free abrasive particles. Mechanical polishing (MP), ultrasonic-assisted polishing (UVP), mechanical polishing under ultrasonic atomization spraying (UA-MP) and ultrasonic vibration polishing under ultrasonic atomization spraying (UA-UVP) were carried out on K9 optical glass. The material removal rate (MRR), material removal depth (MRD), surface quality and surface micromorphology of the polished workpieces were also analyzed and compared. The experimental results showed that the best surface was obtained at UA-UVP (A_Ⅰ = 9 μm) with MRR of 0.0994 mm³/min, material removal depth of 26.816 μm, the Ra and Sa values were 0.028 μm and 0.033 μm respectively. Meanwhile, no obvious pits and scratches were observed on the micromorphological surface. Ultrasonic atomization contributes to even material removal from the polished surface and axial ultrasonic vibration of the polishing tool has a significant effect in improving the polishing characteristics, which provides the experimental basis for applying ultrasonic vibration technology in polishing.     

Mechanism and Simulation of Removal Rate and Surface Roughness During Optical Polishing of Glasses

Glass optics with ultra‐low roughness surfaces (<2 Å rms) are strongly desired for high‐end optical applications (e.g., lasers, spectroscopy, etc.). The complex microscopic interactions that occur between slurry particles and the glass workpiece during optical polishing ultimately determine the removal rate and resulting surface roughness of the workpiece. In this study, a comprehensive set of 100 mm diameter glass samples (fused silica, phosphate, and borosilicate) were polished using various slurry particle size distributions (PSD), slurry concentrations, and pad treatments. The removal rate and surface roughness of the glasses were characterized using white light interferometry and atomic force microscopy. The material removal mechanism for a given slurry particle is proposed to occur via nano‐plastic deformation (plastic removal) or via chemical reaction (molecular removal) depending on the slurry particle load on the glass surface. Using an expanded Hertzian contact model, called the Ensemble Hertzian Multi‐gap (EHMG) model, a platform has been developed to understand the microscopic interface interactions and to predict trends of the removal rate and surface roughness for a variety of polishing parameters. The EHMG model is based on multiple Hertzian contacts of slurry particles at the workpiece–pad interface in which the pad deflection and the effective interface gap at each pad asperity height are determined. Using this, the interface contact area and each particle's penetration, load, and contact zone are determined which are used to calculate the material removal rate and simulate the surface roughness. Each of the key polishing variables investigated is shown to affect the material removal rate, whose changes are dominated by very different microscopic interactions. Slurry PSD impacts the load per particle distribution and the fraction of particles removing material by plastic removal. The slurry concentration impacts the areal number density of particles and fraction of load on particles versus pad. The pad topography impacts the fraction of pad area making contact with the workpiece. The glass composition predominantly impacts the depth of plastic removal. Also, the results show that the dominant factor controlling surface roughness is the slurry PSD followed by the glass material's removal function and the pad topography. The model compares well with the experimental data over a variety of polishing conditions for both removal rate and roughness and can be extended to provide insights and strategies to develop practical, economic processes for obtaining ultra‐low roughness surfaces while simultaneously maintaining high material removal rates.     

Nanoscratching of Optical Glass Surfaces Near the Elastic–Plastic Load Boundary to Mimic the Mechanics of Polishing Particles

The nanomechanical deformations on glass surfaces near the elastic–plastic load boundary have been measured on various glasses by nanoscratching using an atomic force microscope (AFM) to mimic the mechanical interactions of polishing particles during optical polishing. Nanoscratches were created in air and aqueous environments using a 150‐nm radius diamond‐coated tip on polished fused silica, borosilicate, and phosphate glass surfaces; the topology of the nanoscratches were then characterized by AFM. Using load ranges expected on slurry particles during glass polishing (0.05–200 μN), plastic‐type scratches were observed with depths in the nm range. Nanoscratching in air generally showed deeper & narrower scratches with more pileup compared to nanoscratching in water, especially on fused silica glass. The critical load needed to observe plastic deformation was determined to range from 0.2–1.2 μN for the three glasses. For phosphate glass, the load dependence of the removal depth was consistent with that expected from Hertzian mechanics. However, for fused silica and borosilicate glass in this load range, the deformation depth showed a weak dependence with load. Using a sub‐T_g annealing technique, material relaxation was observed on the nanoscratches, suggesting that a significant fraction of the deformation was due to densification on fused silica and borosilicate glass. Repeated nanoscratching at the same location was utilized for determining the effective incremental plastic removal depth. The incremental removal depth decreased with increase in number of passes, stabilizing after ~10 passes. In water, the removal depths were determined as 0.3–0.55 nm/pass for fused silica, 0.85 nm/pass for borosilicate glass, and 2.4 nm/pass for phosphate glass. The combined nanoscratching results were utilized to define the composite removal function (i.e., removal depth) for a single polishing particle as a function of load, spanning the chemical to the plastic removal regimes. This removal function serves as an important set of parameters in understanding material removal during polishing and the resulting workpiece surface roughness.     

Preparations of silica slurry for wafer polishing via controlled growth of commercial silica seeds

Silica slurry in aqueous medium for wafer polishing was prepared by sol-gel reaction of silicon alkoxide utilizing commercial silica particles as seeds that were grown stepwise through intermittent additions of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica precursor. Before the growth reaction, the commercial silica particles were pre-treated in the vibratory mill partially filled with zirconia ball and the sonicator to ensure good dispersion. The alcohol left after growth reaction was removed by vacuum distillation and repeated washings with distilled water followed by centrifugations. Then, the alcohol-free silica particles were redispersed in water. The dispersion stability of the silica slurries was examined by measuring surface charge of silica particles and rheological properties. Finally, wafer-polishing performance of the prepared silica slurries was considered by measuring the polishing (or removal) rate, and RMS (root mean square) roughness of the polished wafer surface. For the polishing, MEA (monoethanolamine) and TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) were used as polishing accelerators. The polishing result showed that the removal rate was nearly independent of the concentrations of MEA and TMAH in the range of 0.3-0.5 wt% and 100-500 ppm, respectively. One of the most interesting features is that hydrothermal treatment of the prepared silica slurries in autoclave increased the removal rate as high as ten times. Although the removal rate was increased by the increased size of the abrasive particle, surface roughness of the polished wafer surface was deteriorated.     

Influence of Temperature and Material Deposit on Material Removal Uniformity during Optical Pad Polishing

The effects of temperature and material deposit on workpiece material removal spatial uniformity during optical pad polishing are described. Round and square‐fused silica workpieces (25–265 mm in size) were polished on a polyurethane pad using ceria slurry under various conditions. Using a nonrotated workpiece on a rotating lap, elevated temperatures (as measured by IR imaging), due to frictional heating at the workpiece–lap interface, were observed having a largely radial symmetric profile (relative to the lap center) on both the workpiece and lap with a peak temperature corresponding to the workpiece center. A 3D steady‐state thermal model of the polishing process, which accounts for the frictional heating and effective heat transfer from various surfaces, quantitatively describes the observed thermal profiles. The temperature spatial uniformity, which affects the material removal spatial uniformity, can be significantly improved using a rotated workpiece and a specially designed compensating septum during polishing. Next, using a rotating workpiece and lap, the workpiece surface develops two types of mid‐range structure: (1) fine ripples (sub‐mm scale length) that run circumferentially with respect to the lap, which have been attributed to microscopic islands of slurry on the lap leading to radial material removal nonuniformities; and (2) a center depression (cm scale length) which has been attributed to nonlinear slurry & glass products buildup at a specific radial lap location. A polishing simulator model (called Surface Figure or SurF), which accounts for workpiece wear, pad wear, and now deposition on the pad, correctly simulates the preferential material deposit on the pad and the center depression structure developed on the workpiece. Strategies, such as time averaging through kinematics and diamond conditioning, for preventing both these nonuniformities are demonstrated.     

Polishing of diamond thick films by Ce at lower temperatures

An efficient coarsely polishing and thinning method for CVD diamond films is achieved using solid or molten rare earth—Ce at the lower temperatures such as 700 °C for 2 h and 820 °C for 0.5 h. The factors affecting the surface roughness (Ra) and the rate of removal of diamond films are discussed thoroughly in this paper. In addition, the polishing mechanism is investigated primarily. The results show the content of diamond on the surface of the polished films has increased to a certain extent due to the etching out of impurities mostly at the grain boundaries and the FMHW of diamond Raman peak for polished diamond films has a visible increase. A large number of diamond films may be polished simultaneously at the temperatures lower than reported previously without noticeable contaminants on the polished surfaces of diamond films.     

Nanoplastic removal function and the mechanical nature of colloidal silica slurry polishing

The nanomechanical deformations on a broad range of optical material surfaces (single crystals of Al₂O₃ [sapphire], SiC, Y₃Al₅O₁₂ [YAG], CaF₂, and LiB₃O₅ [LBO]; a SiO₂–Al₂O₃–P₂O₅–Li₂O glass-ceramics [Zerodur]; and glasses of SiO₂:TiO₂ [ULE], SiO₂ [fused silica], and P₂O₅–Al₂O₃–K₂O–BaO [Phosphate]) near the elastic-plastic load boundary have been measured by nanoindentation and nanoscratching to mimic the nanoplastic removal caused by a single slurry particle during polishing. Nanoindenation in air was performed to determine the workpiece hardness at various loads using a commercial nanoindenter with a Berkovich tip. Similarly, an atomic force microscope (AFM) with a stiff diamond coated tip (150 nm radius) was used to produce nanoplastic scratches in air and aqueous environments over a range of applied loads (~20-170 μN). The resulting nanoplastic deformation of the nanoscratches were used to calculate the removal function (i.e., depth per pass) which ranged from 0.18 to 3.6 nm per pass for these materials. A linear correlation between the nanoplastic removal function and the polishing rate (using a fixed polishing process with colloidal silica slurry on a polyurethane pad) of these materials was observed implying that: (a) the polishing mechanism using colloidal silica slurry can be dominated by mechanical rather than chemical interactions; and (b) the nanoplastic removal function, as opposed to interface particle interactions, is the controlling factor for the polishing material removal rate. Furthermore, this correlation is consistent with the Ensemble Hertzian Multi-Gap (EHMG) microscopic material removal rate model described previously. The nanoplastic removal depth was also found to correlate to the measured nanoindentation hardness (H₁) of the optical material, scaling as H₁^−3.5. Two-dimensional (2D) finite element analysis simulations of nanoindentation showed a similar nonlinear dependence of plastic deformation with the workpiece material hardness. The findings of this study are used to determine an effective Preston coefficient for the material removal rate expression and enhance the predictive nature of the nanoplastic polishing rate for various materials utilizing their material properties.     

Mechanistic difference between Si-face and C-face polishing of 4H–SiC substrates in aqueous and non-aqueous slurries

The traditional aqueous-based polishing slurries have been extensively used in the ultra-precision machining process of SiC substrates, but their processing efficiency remains a major challenge in making SiC wafers with high surface quality. SiC polishing slurries based on non-aqueous solvents have been explored and reported, however, the mechanism for the accelerated SiC material removal rate (MRR) remains unknown. In this work, the Si-face and C-face of the SiC wafer were polished with water and methanol as polishing liquid carriers, respectively. The MRR of Si-face using the methanol-based slurry, can reach 260.9 nm/h, and the polished Si-face surface roughness Ra reduces to 0.150 nm. In contrast, the MRR of Si-face by using the aqueous-based slurry, is 66.8 nm/h, the polished Si-face surface roughness Ra is 0.691 nm. However, the results of MRR and Ra for C-face are opposite. The reaction between the polishing liquid carriers and the atomic structures of Si-face and C-face lead to differences of the MRRs by analyzing contact angle, XPS, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results. The newly revealed polishing mechanisms shined light for speeding up the development of SiC polishing slurries based on the specific aspects of the polishing surface of SiC.     

Relationship between surface μ‐roughness and interface slurry particle spatial distribution during glass polishing

During optical glass polishing, a number of interactions between the workpiece (i.e., glass), polishing slurry, and pad can influence the resulting workpiece roughness at different spatial scale lengths. In our previous studies, the particle size distribution of the slurry, the pad topography, and the amount of material removed by a single particle on the workpiece were shown to strongly correlate with roughness at AFM scale lengths (nm‐μm) and weakly at μ‐roughness scale lengths (μm‐mm). In this study, the polishing slurry pH and the generation of glass removal products are shown to influence the slurry particle spatial and height distribution at the polishing interface and the resulting μ‐roughness of the glass workpiece. A series of fused silica and phosphate glass samples were polished with various ceria and colloidal silica slurries over a range of slurry pH, and the resulting AFM roughness and μ‐roughness were measured. The AFM roughness was largely invariant with pH, suggesting that the removal function of a single particle is unchanged with pH. However, the μ‐roughness changed significantly, increasing linearly with pH for phosphate glass and having a maximum at an intermediate pH for fused silica. In addition, the spatial and height distribution of slurry particles on the pad (as measured by laser confocal microscopy) was determined to be distinctly different at low and high pH during phosphate glass polishing. Also, the zeta potential as a function of pH was measured for the workpiece, slurry, and pad with and without surrogate glass products (K₃PO₄ for phosphate glass and Si(OH)₄ for silica) to assess the role of interfacial charge during polishing. The addition of K₃PO₄ significantly raised the zeta potential, whereas addition of Si(OH)₄ had little effect on the zeta potential. An electrostatic DLVO three‐body force model, using the measured zeta potentials, was used to calculate the particle–particle, particle–workpiece, and particle–pad attractive and repulsive forces as a function of pH and the incorporation of glass products at the interface. The model predicted an increase in particle–pad attraction with an increase in pH and phosphate glass products consistent with the measured slurry distribution on the pads during phosphate glass polishing. Finally, a slurry “island” distribution gap (IDG) model has been formulated which utilizes the measured interface slurry distributions and a load balance to determine the interface gap, the contact area fraction, and the load on each slurry “island”. The IDG model was then used to simulate the workpiece surface topography and μ‐roughness; the results show an increase in roughness with pH similar to that observed experimentally.     

Influence of surface roughness and temperature on the oxidation behavior of ZrC/SiC samples

New composites were elaborated using ZrC and SiC powders and the Spark Plasma Sintering process. The samples were polished at 4 different levels in order to compare the influence of surface roughness and temperature (1400 and 1600 K) on the characteristics of the oxide layers. By XRD analysis, it was confirmed that polishing and temperature level provoked changes in the crystalline structure. SEM imaging coupled to EDS microanalysis showed that the oxide layer was made of zirconia grains with silica at the grain boundaries. Nano-indentation was used to analyze the influence of the initial surface roughness and temperature on the hardness of the oxide layer. At 1400 K, the initial polishing has favored the growth of a hard oxide layer, which could be probably correlated to the higher crystallinity of the oxide. At 1600 K, it seems that a rougher initial surface favors the hardness of the oxide layer, which could be correlated to a better adherence between the oxide layer and the substrate. Both phenomena (crystallinity and adherence) would be in competition to reduce the fragility of the oxide layer.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanocomposite Fe3O4/SiO2 core–shell abrasives for high-efficiency ultrasound-assisted magneto-rheological polishing of sapphire

A functional Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core–shell abrasive was synthesized via hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate. A silica shell was successfully coated on a Fe₃O₄ core, resulting in a core-shell particle with an average diameter of 140 nm. The prepared core–shell abrasives was utilized for ultrasound-assisted magneto-rheological polishing (UAMP) of sapphire substrate. The experimental results showed that the Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core–shell abrasives exhibited a remarkable polishing performance for the sapphire material, resulting in smooth and detect-free surfaces with a high material removal rate (MRR) compared to mixed abrasives (Fe₃O₄ and SiO₂) and pure Fe₃O₄ particles. The application of ultrasonic vibration to the sapphire wafer further improved the MRR, which was approximately 3.4 times higher than that of traditional magneto-rheological polishing. The largest MRR (1.974 μm/h) and comparatively low surface roughness (0.442 nm) of the polished sapphire wafer were achieved by UAMP with the Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core–shell abrasives. The polishing mechanism of the sapphire wafer is discussed in terms of chemical reactions and mechanical polishing.     

Transformation of silica fume into chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) nano-slurries for advanced semiconductor manufacturing

Silica nanoparticles have been synthesized from silica fume using alkali dissolution–precipitation process. The dissolution efficiency of 99% at a temperature of 80 °C and a time of 20 min was achieved. Sodium silicate solution was obtained by dissolving the fume with NaOH solution. Then, silica nanoparticles were precipitated using sulfuric acid. Silica nanoparticles (175 nm) were achieved using 12% sulfuric acid at pH 7 and 200 ppm sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The silica morphologies appeared as a spherical shape with narrow particle size distribution. The silica samples were used for the formulation and testing of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurries. The morphology of the polished wafer surface and its roughness were examined by atomic force microscope (AFM).The results indicated that the surface roughness was greatly improved after application of CMP. It was found that the surface roughness of the polished wafer is 0.226 nm at an applied pressure of 7 psi. The removal rate was found to be 1200 Å. These values confirm the quality of polished wafers.     

Convergent Pad Polishing of Amorphous Silica

A new method of optical polishing termed “Convergent Polishing” is demonstrated where a workpiece, regardless of its initial surface figure, will converge to the lap shape in a single iteration. This method of polishing is accomplished by identifying the phenomena that contribute to non-uniform spatial material removal, and mitigating the non-uniformity for each phenomenon (except for the workpiece-lap mismatch due to the workpiece surface shape). The surface mismatch at the interface between the workpiece and lap causes a spatial and time varying pressure differential which decreases with removal, thus allowing the workpiece to converge to the shape of the lap. In this study, fused (amorphous) silica workpieces are polished using ceria slurry on various polyurethane pads. Polishing parameters were systematically controlled to prevent various sources of non-uniform material removal which include: (i) moment force, (ii) viscoelastic lap relaxation, (iii) kinematics, (iv) pad wear, and (v) workpiece bending. The last two are described herein. With these mitigations, removal uniformity has been demonstrated to within 1.0 μm over the surface after 83 μm of material removal corresponding to a within workpiece non-uniformity (WIWNU) of <1.2%. Also, convergence has been demonstrated down to 0.18 ± 0.04 μm peak-to-valley flatness on 100 mm-sized workpieces.     

Fused silica contamination layer removal using magnetic field-assisted finishing

Fused silica optics used in lasing systems requires a high laser-induced damage resistance. Processes typically used to polish fused silica lenses induce subsurface and surface damage that collect ceria abrasive, creating a layer of contamination. The contamination can be a precursor to laser damage during use. A preliminary study showed the feasibility of magnetic field-assisted finishing (MAF) for polishing fused silica and suggested possible beneficial effects of the MAF-polished surface on the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). This paper proposes a method to examine the fundamental polishing characteristics of MAF for fused silica. Using the proposed method, this paper explores the material removal characteristics of the MAF process and improves the understanding of the MAF polishing mechanism. The 45% improvement of LIDT shows the efficacy of MAF for removing the contamination layer of fused silica surfaces with minimal changes in the surface roughness.     

Study on the interaction between SiO2 and ZrO2 in the chemical mechanical polishing of zirconia ceramic with colloidal silica

Colloidal silica is usually used for the chemical mechanical polishing of zirconia ceramic wafer in industry, but the process is often optimized only through experience without a precise understanding of the polishing mechanism. There are still many theoretical and technical issues, especially the material removal mechanism and the effect of polishing on the phase transformation, have not been studied in depth. In this study, the effect of the abrasive concentration, polishing pressure and slurry pH on the material removal rate was analyzed. It is found that the removal rate tends to be stable when the concentration exceeds 30 wt%; the influence of pressure on the polishing rate conforms to the Preston formula. When the pH of the slurry is 6, the removal rate is the highest, but polishing under acidic conditions will leave corrosion pits due to the dissolution of the stabilizer. Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the residue on the wafer surface, it was found that Si-O-Zr bonds were formed, but it was uncertain whether the residue was zirconium silicate. Through X-ray diffraction analysis, it is found that polishing will not affect the crystal structure of zirconia. The Zr-O-Si bond formed by tribochemical action on the ceramic surface prevents the deep migration of surface hydroxyl groups. At the same time, kinetic factors will cause internal hydroxyl groups to transfer to the surface for recovery oxygen vacancies, thereby stabilizing the tetragonal phase.     

Fused silica with sub-angstrom roughness and minimal surface defects polished by ultrafine nano-CeO2

Surface quality of fused silica, particularly surface defect and surface roughness, is a key factor affecting the performance of high-power laser and short-wave optical instrument, and so on. Herein, the super smooth surface of fused silica with roughness of sub-angstrom level and exceedingly few submicron defects was achieved by using ultrafine nano-CeO₂ with primary particle size less than 4 nm, low secondary particle agglomeration strength, and high Ce³⁺ concentration. Furthermore, CeO₂ involve in polishing process in the form of primary particle was certified by experiment. Moreover, the cause for the generation of submicron defects on fused silica surface was investigated for the first time from the perspective of secondary particle agglomeration strength of CeO₂. The concentration of Ce³⁺ in CeO₂ was characterized by the redshift of the band-gap energy, and the analysis of material removal rate (MRR) and contact angle of polished fused silica shows that Ce³⁺ enhances MRR through increasing the silanol group on fused silica.     

Characterization of the Polishing‐Induced Contamination of Fused Silica Optics

In this work, the polishing‐induced contamination layer at the fused silica optics surface was studied with various interface analysis techniques: Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS), Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA), X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Inductively Coupled Plasma—Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP‐OES). Samples were prepared using an MRF polishing machine and cerium‐based slurry. The cerium and iron penetration and concentration were measured in the surface out of defects. Cerium is embedded at the surface in a 60 nm layer and concentrated at 1200 ppmw in this layer while iron concentration falls down at 30 nm. Spatial distribution and homogeneity of the pollution were also studied in the scratches and bevel using SIMS and EPMA techniques. We saw evidence that surface defects, such as scratches, are specific places that hold the pollutants. This overconcentration is also observed in the chamfer. These new insights into the polishing‐induced contamination of fused silica optics and it repartition have been obtained using various characterization methods. Advantages and disadvantages of each one are discussed.     

Parameter optimization of ultrasonic vibration polishing K9 optical glass based on ultrasonic atomization

To further improve the surface finish and processing efficiency of optical components, ultrasonic vibration technology is frequently combined with conventional processing and the process parameters that play a critical role in this composite processing are identified. This research proposes an ultrasonic vibration polishing method based on ultrasonic atomization (UA-UVP). The polishing performance of K9 optical glass is increased by ultrasonic atomization (UA) assisted by polishing solvent for ultrasonic vibration polishing (UVP). Orthogonal experiments are used to study the effects and variation laws of the flow rate of ultrasonic atomization (Q), the gap distance between the polishing tool and workpiece (G), ultrasonic electro spindle speed (W), abrasive particle size (D) and ultrasonic amplitude (A) on surface roughness (SR) and material removal rate (MRR), respectively. When these two polishing characteristics are considered together, the optimization of polishing parameters becomes complicated. Therefore, the principal component analysis (PCA) and grey relational analysis (GRA) methods were employed to the optimal experimental combination as Q:18 ml/min, G: 5 μm, W: 4000 r/min, D: 0.5 μm, A: 8 μm. The experimental results showed that Ra and MRR were measured as 10.466 nm and 0.473*10^8 μm³/min, respectively. Compared with the best experimental combination of orthogonal experiments, the improvement rates of SR and MRR were 26.65% and 25.80%, respectively. Overall, the application of ultrasonic vibration technology contributes to enhancing the uniform distribution of polished abrasive particles and improving the polishing characteristics.