Deep insights into interaction behaviour and material removal of beta-SiC wafer in nanoscale polishing

Silicon carbide (beta-SiC) polishing aims to maximize material removal rate and surface quality. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed beta-SiC substrate removal methods with various movement mechanisms. The single and multi-asperities models show depths, abrasive sizes, polishing velocities, oscillation amplitude, and frequency. The vibration-coupled rolling motion removes the most atoms in both models, but the improvement in atom removal is most remarkable in the sliding motion. In all models, root-mean-square (RMS) was highest in an anti-clockwise rolling motion, while RMS improved most when increasing from one to three asperities. From single to multi-asperities, surface roughness improvement was lowest in rolling motion associated with vibration. Our findings on surface roughness and movement process in beta-SiC materials' anti-friction and elimination capabilities provide new insights.

Automated summary

This study employed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the substrate removal methods in beta-SiC polishing. The vibration-coupled rolling motion was found to be the most effective, while the sliding motion showed significant improvement in atom removal. Additionally, increasing the number of asperities and the amplitude of vibration led to improved surface roughness.