Reverse engineering study of diamond coated router bit using SEM method

Router bit is the most critical material during printed circuit board (PCB) depanelization process. According to industrial record, replacing ordinary router bit with diamond coated router bit can save 80% of depenalization cost. Hence, quality and reliability of router bit become a critical issue during material qualifying process. Material qualifying process involve small scale test at industry to check on tool performance. However, there is no initial study by end user for these specific coating on router bit which is the major contributor for the long life performance. Without that critical information, quality and reliability of diamond coated router bit cannot be compared in future. Therefore a study on diamond coated structure and layer of coating of commercial diamond coated router bit is carried out to obtain information on thickness of coating, layer structure and type of the diamond coating. Sample prepared by etching using murakami solution and an acid solution of hydrogen peroxide. The sample is analize under 5000 times magnification of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to provide detail on coating thickness, layer structure and type of coating.