Investigation of a scale-up manufacturing approach for nanostructures by using a nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool

Increasing interest in commercializing functional nanostructured devices heightens the need for cost-effective manufacturing approaches for nanostructures. This paper presents an investigation of a scale-up manufacturing approach for nanostructures through diamond turning using a nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool (four tip tool with tip width of 150 nm) fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB). The manufacturing capacity of this new technique is evaluated through a series of cutting trials on copper substrates under different cutting conditions (depth of cut 100–500 nm, spindle speed 12–120 rpm). The machined surface roughness and nanostructure patterns are measured by using a white light interferometer and a scanning electron microscope, respectively. Results show that the form accuracy and integrity of the machined nanostructures were degraded with the increase of the depth of cut and the cutting speed. The burr and the structure damage are two major machining defects. High precision nano-grooves (form error of bottom width < 6.7 %) was achieved when a small depth of cut of 100 nm was used (spindle speed = 12 rpm). Initial tool wear was found at both the clearance cutting edge and the side edges of tool tips after a cutting distance of 2.5 km. Moreover, the nanometric cutting process was emulated by molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The research findings obtained from MD simulation reveal the underlying mechanism for machining defects and the initialization of tool wear observed in experiments

Rolling nanoelectrode lithography

Non-uniformity and low throughput issues severely limit the application of nanoelectrode lithography for large area nanopatterning. This paper proposes, for the first time, a new rolling nanoelectrode lithography approach to overcome these challenges. A test-bed was developed to realize uniform pressure distribution over the whole contact area between the roller and the silicon specimen, so that the local oxidation process occurred uniformly over a large area of the specimen. In this work, a brass roller wrapped with a fabricated polycarbonate strip was used as a stamp to generate nanopatterns on a silicon surface. The experimental results show that a uniform pattern transfer for a large area can be achieved with this new rolling nanoelectrode lithography approach. The rolling speed and the applied bias voltage were identified as the primary control parameters for oxide growth. Furthermore, the pattern direction showed no significant influence on the oxide process. We therefore demonstrated that nanoelectrode lithography can be scaled up for large-area nanofabrication by incorporating a roller stamp

An mechatronics coupling design approach for aerostatic bearing spindles

In this paper, a new design approach for aerostatic bearing spindles (ABS) is firstly proposed which takes into account of the interactions between the mechanical and the servo subsystems, including the integration of electromagnetic effects, static pressure characteristics, servo control and mechanical characteristics. According to the air bearing design principle, the geometry of the spindle rotor is designed. The fluid software is used to analyze the influence of the bearing capacity and stiffness on the stability of the spindle. The simulation shows when the air film thickness is 12 μm, the bearing has good load carrying capacity and rigidity. In addition, the influence of motor harmonics on the spindle shaft modes is considered to avoid the resonance of ABS, and to ensure ABS anti-interference capability, proper inertia of ABS is calculated and analyzed. Finally, ABS has a good follow-up effect on the servo control and machining performance through the experimental prototype. The electromechanical coupling design approach for ABS proposed in this paper, can achieve a peak value better than 0.8 μm (surface size: 9 mm × 9 mm) and a surface roughness better than 8 nm in end face turning experiments

Laser-assisted grinding of reaction-bonded SiC

The paper presents development of a novel laser-assisted grinding process to reduce surface roughness and subsurface damage in grinding reaction-bonded (RB)-SiC. A thermal control approach is proposed to facilitate the process development, in which a two-temperature model is applied to control the required laser power to thermal softening of RB-SiC prior to grinding operation without melting the workpiece or leaving undesirable microstructural alteration, while Fourier's law is adopted to obtain the thermal gradient for verification. An experimental comparison of conventional grinding and laser-assisted grinding shows significant reduction of machined surface roughness (37%-40%) and depth of subsurface damage (SSD) layer (22%-50.6%) using the thermal control approach under the same grinding conditions. It also shows high specific grinding energy 1.5 times that in conventional grinding at the same depth of cut which accounts for the reduction of subsurface damage as it provides enough energy to promote ductile-regime material removal

Material removal mode and friction behaviour of RB-SiC ceramics during scratching at elevated temperatures

Thermal assistance is considered a potentially effective approach to improve the machinability of hard and brittle materials. Understanding the material removal and friction behaviour influenced by deliberately introduced heat is crucial to obtain a high-quality machined surface. This paper aims to reveal the material removal and friction behaviours of RB-SiC ceramics scratched by a Vickers indenter at elevated temperatures. The material-removal mode, scratching hardness, critical depth of the ductile–brittle transition, scratching force, and friction are discussed under different penetration depths. The size effect of scratching hardness is used to assess the plastic deformation at elevated temperatures. A modified model is established to predict the critical depth at elevated temperatures by considering the changes in mechanical properties. The results reveal that the material deformation and adhesive behaviour enhanced the ductile-regime material removal and the coefficient of friction at elevated temperatures

Editorial for the special issue on ultra precision technologies for micromachining, volume II

With the increasing demand for ultra-high-precision products and micro-products in fields such as aerospace, national defense, military, transportation, and people's livelihoods, it has become an important development trend in the field of machining to realize ultra-high-precision machining and miniaturization with a higher level and higher quality [...]

A new grinding force model for micro grinding RB-SiC ceramic with grinding wheel topography as an input

The ability to predict grinding force for hard and brittle materials is important to optimize and control the grinding process. However, it is a difficult task to establish a comprehensive grinding force model that takes into account of brittle fracture, grinding conditions and random distribution of grinding wheel topography. Therefore, this study developed a new grinding force model for micro-grinding of RB-SiC ceramics. First, the grinding force components and grinding trajectory were analyzed based on the critical depth of rubbing, ploughing and brittle fracture. Afterwards, the corresponding individual grain force were established and the total grinding force was derived through incorporating the single grain force with dynamic cutting grains. Finally, a series of calibration and validation experiments were conducted to obtain the empirical coefficient and verify the accuracy of the model. It was found that ploughing and fracture were the dominate removal modes, which illustrate the force components decomposed is correct. Furthermore, the values predicted according to proposed model are consistent with the experimental data, with the average deviation of 6.793% and 8.926% for the normal and tangential force, respectively. This suggests that the proposed model is acceptable and can be used to simulate the grinding force for RB-SiC ceramics in practical

Investigation of the shape transferability of nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools in the diamond turning of nanostructures

In this article, the shape transferability of using nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools in the diamond turning for scale-up manufacturing of nanostructures has been demonstrated. Atomistic multi-tip diamond tool models were built with different tool geometries in terms of the difference in the tip cross-sectional shape, tip angle, and the feature of tool tip configuration, to determine their effect on the applied forces and the machined nano-groove geometries. The quality of machined nanostructures was characterized by the thickness of the deformed layers and the dimensional accuracy achieved. Simulation results show that diamond turning using nanoscale multi-tip tools offers tremendous shape transferability in machining nanostructures. Both periodic and non-periodic nano-grooves with different cross-sectional shapes can be successfully fabricated using the multi-tip tools. A hypothesis of minimum designed ratio of tool tip distance to tip base width (L/Wf) of the nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool for the high precision machining of nanostructures was proposed based on the analytical study of the quality of the nanostructures fabricated using different types of the multi-tip tools. Nanometric cutting trials using nanoscale multi-tip diamond tools (different in L/Wf) fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB) were then conducted to verify the hypothesis. The investigations done in this work imply the potential of using the nanoscale multi-tip diamond tool for the deterministic fabrication of period and non-periodic nanostructures, which opens up the feasibility of using the process as a versatile manufacturing technique in nanotechnology

Nanoelectrode lithography of silicon surface by brass stamp

The stamps used in the nanoelectrode lithography (NEL) process require conductive layer deposition, which makes them a bit expensive. This paper reports the feasibility of using brass materials as the conductive stamps for NEL to shorten the process step and reduce the production cost. In this paper, the fabrication of nanostructures on the brass stamp was performed on a single point diamond turning (SPDT) machine. Some burrs were formed during the machining process, that prohibit the stamps from achieving a homogeneous contact with the substrates. Introduction of a thin layer of polymer (PS-OH) on the silicon substrate showed an improvement in contact uniformity so as the oxidation. However, some areas of the substrate remained unoxidized as few of the burrs were quite large. The brass stamps could be advantageous as they show no degradation after many uses. Nevertheless, the issues of the burr formation and non-uniformity should be alleviated first to make these stamps appropriate to the NEL process

Energy conversion model and extrusion 3D printing of piezoelectric composite energy harvesters

Piezoelectric energy harvesters can realize conversion from mechanical energy to electric energy and power the electronic devices. In this work, based on the electro-elastic model of piezoelectric composites, considering the influence of external load on the piezoelectric coupling, a mathematical model for calculating the energy output of the piezoelectric energy harvesters is established through the coupled equations of elastic and electric fields, Kirchhoff's Circuit Law and the law of charge conservation. Barium Titanate/polydimethylsiloxane (BTO/PDMS) composites were fabricated by extrusion 3D printing. In addition to the conventional extrusion in air, a new water bath extrusion approach was also used to prove its feasibility in preparing piezoelectric composites. The results show that water bath extrusion has advantages in maintaining the shape of the structure. Moreover, the piezoelectric properties were evaluated by falling ball impact tests. The peak-to-peak value of the pulse produced by the energy harvester extruded in air and water bath were 1.74 V and 3.31V, respectively. The energy harvesters extruded in water bath achieved 1.9 times of output voltage of that extruded in air