Removal mechanisms in polishing of silicon based advanced ceramics

Advanced ceramics with high surface quality and integrity are of increased interest in mold and die making and optics. The demanded qualities are widely ensured by polishing. However, due to the great variety of parameters and interactions the removal mechanisms are still not fully understood. Therefore, polishing processes of silicon based advanced ceramics are investigated. It is shown that depending on the slurry the material removal mechanisms differ. Observed effects can be explained by dominating mechanical or chemo-mechanical removal. This is discussed based on the phenomenological analysis of experimental results using advanced metrology, such as AFM, SEM and TEM.