Evolution of chemo-mechanical effects during single grit diamond scratching of monocrystalline silicon in the presence of potassium hydroxide

Abstract Efficiency and workability of silicon wafers for various applications depend on theirs surface integrity and damage free structures. Productivity of mechanical processing on silicon wafers is always limited by occurrence of cracks and brittle mode material removal at high depth of cut. This study presents a method of using controlled concentration of KOH solution during diamond micro-scratching of silicon and investigates the chemo-mechanical effects of KOH solution with respect to cutting speed. To establish the chemo-mechanical theory of cutting, responses of physical and material properties of silicon in presence of KOH solution are captured and correlated with mechanical responses during micro-scratching. Zeta potential and nanohardness are greatly reduced in KOH environment. Ductile mode is found to be extended by using 10 wt% KOH. Crack/chipping length is observed to be first increasing with increase in cutting speed at low range (0.6–20 mm/min) and then decreasing on further increase in the cutting speed (20–200 mm/min). Stability in cutting force signature and behavior of material flow along the scratch length is also found to be improved by using KOH. Adhesive wear and abrasive wear are found to be the main forms of single grit wear, which is significantly reduced in the presence of KOH. The experimental results on different mechanical and physical phenomena in this study are of great importance for establishing the theoretical insight into material removal behavior and selection of machining parameters during micro-machining of silicon wafer.