SURFACE FINISHING OF CVD DIAMOND

Recent and expected improvements in the quality and size of polycrystalline and single crystal diamond have moved CVD diamond products closer to commercial uses as heat spreaders for discrete devices, ICs and MCMs, optical windows and active semiconductor devices. A major factor which is inhibiting the wide usuage of diamond for these applications is the high cost and low quality of mechanically finished diamond surfaces. Current mechanical finishing of large diamond substrates is unsuitable because of the high cost associated with the low removal rate, the poor control of surface finish, and the inadequate surface flatness and parallelism. Present methods of thinning of diamond by use of carbide forming reactions are likewise unsuitable because of cost and inadequate control of the surface finish and mechanical dimensions. The objective of the proposed program is to demonstrate new techniques for polishing of diamond which are substantially less expensive that the current process, will have improved surface finish and will meet rigid dimensional specifications.