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

Silicon carbide (β-SiC) polishing aims to maximize material removal rate and surface quality. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed β-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 β-SiC materials' anti-friction and elimination capabilities provide new insights.