9813257 Gogotsi The objectives of this research project are to: (1) Investigate the phase composition of machining debris and machined surfaces of Si, Ge, GaAs, InSb, CdTe and, eventually, other semiconductors using micro-Raman spectroscopy. (2) Use the indentation and scratch tests instead of much more complicated and expensive real machining experiments for prediction and optimization of the conditions of ductile machining. (3) Predict and optimize single-point diamond turning conditions based on the obtained information. (4) Perform actual single point diamond turning of above mentioned materials, verify surface quality and ductile regime chip removal mode, and its resulting advantages in terms of damage-free and super flat machined surfaces. (5) Quantify the reduction in manufacturing process time of silicon wafers, GE, and other semiconductors compared to current lapping-polishing methods. If successful, this research will bridge the gap between the materials science theory and practice of machining and change the approach to the selection and optimization of the ductile regime conditions from "trial-error" to "prediction-verification" tests. This will provide a fast and reliable ultra-precision machining method for brittle semiconductors, which will produce a better surface quality and dimensional accuracy. The same micro-Raman technique that is used for identification of the ductile regime will be used for quality control of machined surfaces.
