Damage-free machining of monocrystalline silicon carbide

Cutting tests of monocrystalline SiC, on the surface of which an amorphous layer was preformed by ion implantation, were performed. Ductile-mode machining was observed at a depth of cut smaller than 60 nm. At a depth of cut larger than 60 nm, cracks were observed on the work surface. However, transmission electron micrographs show that crack propagation was obstructed at the interface between the amorphous and crystalline layers even under brittle-mode machining, and no subsurface damage extended into the crystalline layer. The results suggest that the damage-free machining of monocrystalline SiC is possible by surface modification to an amorphous structure.