Microscopic mechanism for mechanical polishing of diamond (110) surfaces
arXiv:cond-mat/9803289 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.80.3428
Abstract
Mechanically induced degradation of diamond, as occurs during polishing, is studied using total--energy pseudopotential calculations. The strong asymmetry in the rate of polishing between different directions on the diamond (110) surface is explained in terms of an atomistic mechanism for nano--groove formation. The post--polishing surface morphology and the nature of the polishing residue predicted by this mechanism are consistent with experimental evidence.
4 pages, 5 figures