Finer Points · Cubic Boron Nitride (cBN) Composite Coating, TuffTek® for Carbide and Ceramic...

FinerPointsTHIS ISSUE

2012 IDA AnnualMeeting Review

IDA AnnouncesINTERTECH 2013

A Growing GlobalDemand for CVD Diamond

New ConceptConditioner Made by An EngineeredSurface Coated withCVD Diamond

Development ofHigh Quality,Tailored CVDDiamond Using Hot Filaments

Diamond ProductionInnovation – Mass Production

Cubic Boron Nitride(cBN) CompositeCoating, TuffTek®

for Carbide andCeramic Tools

THE LONGESTRUNNING

MAGAZINEDEDICATED

SOLELY TO THETECHNOLOGY AND

APPLICATION OFSUPERABRASIVES

Summer 2012 $9.00 USD

SUPERABRASIVE INDUSTRY REVIEWFeaturing CVD Diamond and cBN

10 18 22 26 29

3Featuring CVD Diamond and cBN FINER POINTS

d e p a r t m e n t s

4 A Finer Point of View

14 Calendar of Events

15 IDA Member Companies

23 Ad Insertion Order

28 MembershipApplication

COVER PHOTODiamond deposition courtesy of ScioDiamond Technologies shows seedswith approximately 750 microns of

diamond growth.

FINER POINTS is the longest running publicationdevoted exclusively to the understanding, selection andapplication of diamond, cubic boron nitride and relatedmaterials. It is edited for recipients who are involved insome way with these “superabrasives”, either asproviders of the materials, producers of productscontaining the materials or users of these products (e.g.,grinding wheels, dressing tools, drill bits, saw blades,sawing wires, cutting tools, polishing compounds, CVDfilm products, etc.).

American Superabrasives........................................................................................................ 17Apogee Precision Parts ............................................................................................................ 11Bogimac NV-SA ......................................................................................................................... 6Cinetic Landis Corp. – CITCO/Gardner Abrasives ............................................................ 14Element Six .......................................................................................................................... OBCEngis Corporation................................................................................................................. IBCILJIN USA, Inc. ...................................................................................................................... 16Innovative Organics – Saint-Gobain Grains & Powders.................................................... 30Lieber & Solow Company ....................................................................................................... 5Trigon Technologies ............................................................................................................... 13Worldwide Superabrasives, LLC .............................................................................................. 7Zhongnan Diamond Co., Ltd. ............................................................................................. IFC

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6 2012 IDA Annual Meeting Review8 IDA Announces INTERTECH 201310 A Growing Global Demand for

CVD Diamond18 New Concept Conditioner Made by An

Engineered Surface Coated with CVDDiamond

22 Development of High Quality, TailoredCVD Diamond Using Hot Filaments

26 Diamond Production Innovation – Mass Production

29 Cubic Boron Nitride (cBN) CompositeCoating, TuffTek® for Carbide andCeramic Tools

26

FinerPoints

A Finer Point of View...As I start my term as President of theIndustrial Diamond Association ofAmerica I am both honored andhumbled. The IDA has a long history,going back some 66 years and mycompany is actually a chartermember ... Cleveland Industrial ToolCorporation, the predecessor ofCitco, which is now Cinetic LandisCorp – CITCO/Gardner Abrasives wasan original member of the IDA backin 1946. So we’ve been around for awhile and I have strong ties to theAssociation and a tremendous desirefor its continued growth.

The 1946 Membership directory onlylists mailing addresses. In 1946 manycompanies did not have phones orthe switchboard service was verypoor. Today’s directory not only listsphone numbers, but cell phones,emails and everyone’s website! As wemove from snail-mail to email andshare daily thoughts through twitter,facebook and linked in and a numberof other “social media”, we not onlyhave access and ease ofcommunication but are barraged withcommunication overload.

The IDA has taken full advantage ofthe electronic media faze. FinerPoints has embraced the Internetwith an on-line version and dedicatedwebsite www.finerpointsmagazne.com.The Finer Points has gone from asimple newsletter in the early 50’s toa trade magazine carrying newsfocused on the superabrasiveindustry.

The IDA has also seen thetransformation of the machine tooloperator classification inmanufacturing. In the past themachine operator was an artist, ableto hear when a part was beingmachined properly and his fivesenses guided an operation to deliverthe final part with precision andaccuracy. Today, computers and ultramodern machines can complete themanufacturing process and theoperator is now a combination ofcomputer programmer andtechnologist. The future of our entiremanufacturing industry relies onrecruiting and educating newoperators that have the same prideand dedication as those of the past.

Training may be a word that’s nolonger appropriate. The newoperators want “education”. Theywant to know what is happeningwhen an abrasive is working amaterial, what is critical in a wearmode or what makes one abrasive

perform better than another on agiven material ... This is where ourindustry survives ... “Education” onsuperabrasives is critical for the newbreed of operator.

The IDA has taken on this task anddeveloped a comprehensiveeducation package, one that not onlychallenges the operator but instillsthe pride in performance we haveseen in years gone by. As currentoperators retire, where do we get thenew breed to replace them and howdo we instill the desire to enter intothis profession? We need to workwith high schools and trade schoolsto make this a priority. I believeeducation is the key and the IDA has taken the lead to make sure thisis a priority for the next decade and beyond.

INTERTECH 2011 saw an extremelysuccessful educational program forsuperabrasives with over 80 attendeesper session. By popular demand,INTERTECH 2013 will continue withan even more comprehensiveeducation program to target operatorsand manufacturing leaders at majorend users ... Superabrasives areinstrumental to manufacturingprofitability. From new superalloysand composites in aerospace to metalmatrix composites and ceramics inautomotive, superabrasives are thekey. This is how we succeed and makemanufacturing excellence andperformance a priority for the 21st century.

With best regards,

Edward E. Galen, PresidentIndustrial Diamond Association of America

PRESIDENTEdward E. Galen

Industrial DiamondAssociation ofAmerica, Inc.

PRESIDENTEdward E. GalenCinetic Landis Corp – CITCO/Gardner Abrasives

VICE PRESIDENTMike MustinAmerican Superabrasives

SECRETARY/TREASURERTroy Heuermann3M Abrasive Systems Division

PAST PRESIDENTR. Christian WinkelWorldwide Superabrasives

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (term)Joseph M. Connolly (10-12)Element Six

Stephen Griffin (11-13)Engis Corporation

David Spelbrink (10-12)Lieber & Solow, Company

Keith Reckling (11-13)National Research Company

Aaron Nolan (12-14)Sumitomo Electric Carbide, Inc. Materials Group

Scott Ries (10-12)Vollmer of America Corporation

Open (12-14)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORMr. Terry M. KaneIndustrial Diamond Associationof America, Inc.P.O. Box 29460Columbus, Ohio 43229Phone: 614-797-2265FAX: 614-797-2264

E-Mail: [email protected]

Website: www.superabrasives.org

FINER POINTS is the official publication of theIndustrial Diamond Association of America, Inc. andis published fours times a year. Contributions arewelcomed but the Editor reserves the right to acceptor reject any material deemed inappropriate forpublication. All by-lined articles published in thismagazine represent solely the individual opinions ofthe writers and not necessarily those of the IndustrialDiamond Association. Executive and EditorialOffices: Finer Points, P.O. Box 29460, Columbus,Ohio 43229, (614) 797-2265. Editor and Advertising,Terry Kane. Advertising rates and deadlinesavailable upon request. Copyright 2002. Material inFINER POINTS may not be reproduced in any formwithout express written consent.

ISSN: 1090-0896

4 FINER POINTS Featuring CVD Diamond and cBN


2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Left to Right: Scott Ries-Director, Ed Galen-President, Steve Griffin-Director,Chris Winkel-Past President, David Spelbrink-Director, Joe Connolly-Director, Aaron Nolan-Director,

Troy Heuermann-Secretary/Treasurer, Mike Mustin-Vice President, Keith Reckling-Director

The 2012 IDA Annual Meeting was held this past month at the Hyatt Regency inScottsdale Arizona. Members welcomed two new companies to the IDA, SCIODiamond Technologies Corporation and Ulbrich Stainless Steels and SpecialMetals, Inc. The Meeting sessions were outstanding as attendees listened to threeinvited speakers. Gina Martin Adams of Wells Fargo, a frequent speaker at ourmeetings once again was excellent as she did her annual review and projectionsfor the economy, especially the industrial businesses. Mitch Free a manufacturinginsider and trade analyst of MFG.com, gave an excellent overview ofmanufacturing growth sectors and the positive signs that might lead to morecompanies reshoring manufacturing processes. We also were fortunate to welcomeAdam Gordon from Wiley Rein, who spoke about recent litigation activities toprotect US businesses from dumping products from foreign countries, especiallyin the diamond business. Mr. Gordon gave advice on ways to detect dumping andenforcing trade orders. All these speakers were very informative and let to somelively interaction. The meeting took a new turn as various newly establishedcommittees for the IDA took center stage in working sessions to discuss activitiesand generate action items on education, INTERTECH planning, Social media,Trade Association alliance, Membership and Finer Points content. At the AnnualMeeting banquet sitting 2011 President Chris Winkel honored two IDA Membersfor their contributions. Joe Tabeling of Delaware Diamond Knives received thePresident’s award for his contributions over the last few years as a Board Member,Officer and his specific contribution to setting up a new finance and reportingsystem for the IDA. Chris also awarded a Lifetime Membership Award to WilsonBorn of National Diamond Research. Wilson was IDA President in 1986 and hascontributed greatly to the growth and prosperity of the IDA through his years ofservice. Many IDA Members stood up to point out some of Wilson’s contributions

and strong support of the IDA over theyears. The new Officers and Board for 2012were introduced and everyone enjoyed avery productive meeting and social events.

Gina Martin Adams of Wells Fargo informed attendees ofeconomic issues.

Attendees at the meeting took full advantage of workingsessions and events to discuss issues and formulatebusiness plans.

2012 IDA Annual Meeting Review

INTERTECH 2013 WILL BE THE FEATURED CONFERENCE FOR NEWTECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERABRASIVES

AND SUPER-HARD MATERIALS FOR AEROSPACEINTERTECH 2013 is the leading International Technical Conference on industrial diamond, cubicboron nitride, polycrystallines, CVD diamond, Nanodiamond and other materials classified assuperabrasives and ultra-hard materials. INTERTECH 2013 will feature leading experts representing

international suppliers, manufacturers, research facilities, academia, end-users, machine toolbuilders and the scientific community with a focus on Aerospace applications.

COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION SESSION“Superabrasive and Ultra-Hard Material Essentials and Applications”

By popular demand INTERTECH 2013 will once again offer, a concurrent one-day sessioncovering the history, characteristics and proper application for diamond and cubic boron nitridematerials. This session is a recently updated educational package to address the essentials ofsuperabrasives and ultra-hard materials for those new to the industry or those who wish to becomemore familiar with the industry and its critical materials and applications.

BALTIMORE HARBOR IS A MAJOR ATTRACTION ...This sensational event will be held in Baltimore, Maryland USA at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor.The Hyatt is conveniently located on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the centerpiece of downtownBaltimore. The Inner Harbor is a vibrant and beautiful waterfront area surrounded by restaurants,attractions and shops. In just a few city blocks, you can discover an expansive collection ofdinosaurs at the Maryland Science Center; wander through the pop culture icons of your past atGeppi's Entertainment Museum or explore exotic jellyfish, sharks and other creatures from the deepat the National Aquarium. Attendees of INTERTECH will want to set

some time aside to visit Washington DC the capital of the United States.Less than an hour drive from Baltimore makes Washington a majorattraction for attendees. Famous for its historical buildings, theSmithsonian Institute, memorials, statues and shrines, no trip to thisvicinity would be complete without a tour of Washington DC for anamazing once in a lifetime experience. INTERTECH 2013 will be a

rewarding technical experience complimented by a trip to the world-famous and historic cities of Baltimore and Washington DC. All thisproves INTERTECH 2013 will be a “have to attend” conference!

YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS EXCITING EVENT!

We are now soliciting commercial and technical papers ofapproximately 30-45 minutes in length that address the research ofthese super-hard materials as well as the dynamics and application ofsuperabrasive systems in Aerospace and other industries as well (see:Areas of Consideration) with a focus on new technology, tooling,workpiece materials, machines and applications related to increasedPRODUCTIVITY and PERFORMANCE. Consideration for papers is

being made at this time and abstracts are now being accepted;contact us today to be considered. This will be the mostcomprehensive event ever held on superabrasive materials forAerospace and similar industries!

Photos of Baltimore for INTERTECH 2013 courtesy of Baltimore Convention & Tourism Bureau.

The Industrial Diamond Association ofAmerica Announces INTERTECH 2013May 6, 7 & 8

OTHER INDUSTRIES AND TOPICS FOR CONSIDERATIONAUTOMOTIVE• Parts Manufacturing• Gears• Wheels• Transmissions• EnginesCONSTRUCTION/HIGHWAY• Concrete Aggregates• Highway/Runway• Renovation• Block Grinding/PolishingELECTRONICS• Disc Texturing• Wafer Mfg.• Polishing• Optic Windows• Semiconductors

• Heat SinksEMERGING TECHNOLOGY• CVD Diamond• Nanodiamond• New Crystals• CoatingsGLASS• Lens Generation• Polishing• Pencil EdgingMACHINE TOOLS• Advancements• Superabrasive AdaptationMEDICAL• Surgical Knives• Prosthesis Fabrication

MINING/DRILLING• Drills & Bits• ApplicationOPTICS• Polishing• Lens GenerationRESEARCH &DEVELOPMENT• HPHT Technology• Pressing EquipmentTOOLING• Grinding Wheels• Cutting Tools• Sawblades• Drill BitsWEAR PARTS• Rests

• Anvils• NozzlesWIRE DRAWING• Single Crystal• PCD• ManufacturingWOODWORKING• Hard Woods• Fiberboard• Laminates• Composites

OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGY &APPLICATIONDEVELOPMENT

On-Line submission of abstracts is now available at www.intertechconference.com. If you wish topresent a paper, you can also send a one or two paragraph abstract of your paper topic via email,

fax or regular post to: Terry M. Kane, Chairman • INTERTECH 2013 • P.O. Box 29460 • Columbus,Ohio 43229 • Telephone: 614-797-2265 • Fax: 614-797-2264 • e-mail: [email protected]

WATCH FOR INTERTECH 2013 ON-LINEAs you can see by the areas for paper consideration, diamond and cubic boron nitride are not justbeing used as abrasives in traditional applications. Today, superabrasives and ultra-hard materialsare making inroads in electronics, medical, cosmetics and literally every other industry where thecharacteristics of diamond and cubic boron nitride can affect performance or provide higherstrength or new capabilities. As an INTERTECH attendee you will learn how these new productsand applications are being developed, where super-hard materials are being used and how you

can apply these systems in new and innovative ways. Visit the INTERTECH 2013website: www.intertechconference.com for additional information on: ● CONFERENCE

REGISTRATION ● ABSTRACT SUBMISSION ● LOCATION & TRAVEL ● SESSIONS &SCHEDULES ● PAPER GUIDELINES ● VISAS AND INVITATION LETTERS ●

SPEAKERS & TOPICS ● TABLETOP DISPLAYS ● KEYNOTE ADDRESSES ●ORGANIZING COMMITTEE CONTACTS

ABSTRACTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM JULY 1, 2012 THROUGH JANUARY 1, 2013We will reply to all submissions. Come join us! INTERTECH has the tradition of beingthe most comprehensive event held on superabrasives and ultra-hard materials.

(PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY AND FILL OUT COMPLETELY. INCLUDE ABSTRACT)

Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________

Title: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Company:_____________________________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________________

City: _____________________________________________________________________________________

State/Province: ___________________________________ Zip/Postal Code:________________________

Country:___________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________ Fax:____________________________________

Email: ________________________________________________________________________________

Website: ________________________________________________________________________________

AREAS OF CONSIDERATION FOR PAPERS WITH A MAJOR FOCUSON SUPERABRASIVES USED IN AEROSPACE APPLICATIONSAEROSPACE• Manufacturing• RebuildingMACHINE TOOLS• Development• Innovations• Advancements• SuperabrasiveRESEARCH &DEVELOPMENT• New Crystals & Abrasives

• New Coatings• Bond Development• Testing/Gauging• Tool Fabrication• Materials• Tooling• Application Development• Film (CVD & PVD)• Magnetorheological

Finishing• Electrolytic In-process

Dressing (ELID) Mirror-Surface Grinding

• NanotechnologyTOOLING• Grinding Wheels• Cutting Tools• Drill BitsWORKPIECE MATERIALS• High Tech Ceramics• High Silica Aluminum• Glass

• Thermal Sprays• Superalloys

OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGY &APPLICATIONDEVELOPMENT



A The idea of CVD diamond as a cost-effective material ofchoice has become a reality. As Chemical Vapor Deposition(CVD) diamond becomes more and more commercially availablevia improvements in manufacture throughput, industries can nowtake advantage of the superior performance characteristics ofdiamond (durability, stiffness, strength, high thermal conductivity,and its electrical isolation properties, to name a few) with a lowermaterial cost. Global market demand for hot filament CVDdiamond and CVD diamond deposition equipment continues togrow, with emphasis in cutting tools for machining non-ferrousmaterials, MEMS devices for electronics and as an integratedthermal spreading layer of active circuits, and for chemicalmechanical planarization (CMP) of semiconductor wafers. sp3Diamond Technologies began designing CVD diamondequipment in 1993, with the specific goal of developingprocesses and products that would exploit the many uniqueproperties of diamond. One of the main challenges the companyfaced was selecting a technical path that would provide forreliable, cost effective manufacturing on a production scale, dayafter day. After much analysis the path selected was hot filamentCVD, as this was clearly the best path to cost-effective largearea deposition in two and three dimensions. sp3 DiamondTechnologies offers two commercial hot filament CVD depositionsystems: the single chamber sp3 Model 655 (Figure 1) and thedual chamber Model 665 (Figure 2). Both of these hot filamentsystems can deposit a wide range of polycrystalline CVDdiamond films, both nanocrystalline and micro-crystalline, fromas thin as 200nm to as thick as 50 microns over an areaapproximately 350mm by 375mm. Both systems utilize fine wirefilaments (0.12mm in dia.) in a cold wall aluminum chamber witha typical total system input power between 35 kW and 70 kW.The system’s filaments are horizontal and can be arranged in atwo-dimensional or threedimensional array. A sophisticatedprocess controller provides for complex deposition recipes withup to 59 discrete steps. This high degree of program control iscritical for the proper management of orderly startup, nucleation,growth, shut down and (most importantly) safety. sp3’s hotfilament systems use a programmable process controller, makingit a simple task to vary the grain size as well as other propertiesof the grown diamond films. Uniformity is an area where sp3’s hotfilament reactors have clearly demonstrated their superiority overboth microwave and DC torch approaches. A typical reactor loadin a single chamber hot filament system can consist of severalhundred cutting inserts, over 100 round tools, or single 300mmsilicon wafer. sp3’s hot filament reactors have the advantage ofuniform temperature across the entire deposition area. Incontrast, microwave reactors and DC torches create a sphere orplume of energy that is hotter at the center than at the edge.System designers try to compensate for these effects by rotatingthe substrate in an attempt to normalize deposition temperatures.This additional rotation adds complexity and cost, reducesreliability and can often be a source of contaminants. Both theModel 655 and 665 successfully avoid these pitfalls. The Model665’s dual chamber design offers double the throughput of the

FIGURE 1 – Single Chamber Hot Filament CVD Deposition System

FIGURE 2 – Dual Chamber Hot FIlament CVD Deposition System

FIGURE 3 – Chamber Filled with Carbide End Mills, Freshly Coated with CVD Diamond

A GROWING GLOBAL DEMAND FOR

CVD DIAMONDBy Valerie Singer, Product Manager, sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc.

Model 655 single chamber design,further lowering the cost of ownershipwhile still delivering the identical CVDdiamond film characteristics,deposition rate and processuniformity as the single-chamberModel 655. sp3’s Model 655 and 665hot filament diamond depositionsystems can produce uniformdiamond films for a wide range ofmarket applications.

The demand for thin film diamond oncarbide cutting tools remains strong,with recent growth in the greaterChina market. China is acknowledgedas one of the largest country in termsof industrial production, with a risingneed for high quality cutting tools.The Freedonia Group, Inc., anindustry market research firm,predicts that the demand for machinetools in China will grow 14.2 percentannually to a little over $61 billion in2014. This robust growth will boostChina's present position as theworld's leading consumer andproducer of machine tools. TheChinese government has set newstrategic goals in their 12th five-yearplan, including achievements inscientific development, which meansthat the Chinese government can beexpected to dedicate an increasingamount of resources towardsresearch and development activities.sp3 Diamond Technologies is helpingto respond to this need by its recentshipment of a Model 655 Series HFCVD deposition system to China forcutting tool applications. The Model655 system offers an industryleadingsolution for manufacturing nano- ormicro-crystalline diamond films oncarbide cutting tools, providingprecise and repeatable diamonddeposition for production applications(Figure 3).

CVD diamond coated tools takeadvantage of diamond’s amazinghardness and resistance to abrasion,resulting in longer tool life, moreaccurate cuts and better finish on awork piece. China’s increasing needfor quality cutting tools and sp3Diamond Technologies’ position as aleading manufacturer and exporter ofdiamond deposition equipment issynergistic. There are also multipleapplications for thin film diamond inMicro-Electro-Mechanical Systems(MEMS), as well. According to theMEMS Journal, the total market forMEMS devices is around $9.5 to 10

billion per yearand it isexpected togrow at 12 to15% for the nextfew years. At therecent MEMSBusiness Forum2012 in SantaClara, CA, it waspredicted thatthe MEMSmarket couldpotentially growto $100 billionand 1 trillionMEMS devicesper year by 2025.Potential applications includeoscillator membranes, sensors, SAWdevices, electrodes, display/opticalsystems, data storage, powersystems and corrosion resistantcoatings (Figure 4).

Of particular interest are MEMSdevices for RF. Current cellularphones support three to four radiofrequency bands. As cellulartechnology develops, the cell phonesof the future can be expected to havefive to ten bands, which will directlyimpact the complexity and powerdemand of the device. MEMSresonators vibrate at precisefrequencies and have the ability toreject signals with certain frequencieswhile allowing others to pass. Thisability creates a "band-pass" filter: adevice that can pass selectedfrequencies through a cell phone'scircuitry while rejecting others. Band-pass filters make it possible fordevices to transmit signals withminimal interference and maximumefficiency, which is critical for cellphones and other wirelesselectronics. However, with theincreased transmission efficiencycomes an increased power load.MEMS silicon devices coated withthin film CVD diamond have proved tomake excellent material forresonators. CVD diamond boasts notonly excellent acoustic velocity butalso superior thermal conductivity,making it a natural material for use inMEMS resonators. Researchers at UCBerkeley’s Marvell NanofabricationLaboratory recently took delivery of asp3 Model 655D hot filament reactorand have been able to successfullyproduce high quality, cost-effectivethin film diamond on silicon waferssuitable for MEMS devices. One

particular recent success was anapplication in which UC Berkeleyresearchers used the Model 655 hotfilament reactor to successfully growmicrocrystalline (MCD) CVD diamondon a silicon capacitive-combtransduced micro-mechanicalresonator with a Q of 146,580 at232.441 kHz: this was three timeshigher than the previous mark formicrowave plasma CVDbaseddevices. Additionally, contour modedisk resonators fabricated in thesame hot filament CVD film and usingmaterial-mismatched stemsdemonstrated a Q of 71,400 at 299.8MHz, which is the highest seriesresonant Q measured at thisfrequency for an on-chip roomtemperature MEMS resonator. UCBerkeley’s research demonstrates thevast potential of diamond film as acost-effective material of choice in thebatch production of high-frequencyon-chip resonators. Clearly sp3’s hotfilament diamond depositiontechnology will encourage and enablethe adoption of CVD diamond film in agrowing range of applications for theMEMS market.

CVD diamond also has a potential roleto play in GaN power devices. Permarket analyst Yole Développement,the GaN power device industry willpotentially reach a billion dollars inrevenue by 2019. High powersemiconductor devices that generatea lot of heat (such as those in radarapplications) run into the problems oflimited performance and lowerreliability. The challenge is finding away to minimize the heat near thejunction/channel of the transistor.Device designers have been turningto GaN HEMT at the wafer-level withsome success in an effort to boost the


FIGURE 4 – A MEMS structure built from an sp3 diamond-on-silicon wafer (Photo courtesy of UC Berkeley)


electrical efficiency of a device, butstill face the difficulty of dealing withextreme heat. CVD diamond boastsexcellent thermal conductivity;consequently, CVD diamond thin filmswould be an ideal thermal layermaterial for high power/high frequencysemiconductor devices. Depositionsystems such as sp3’s Model 655 and665 can successfully combine GaNgrowth on silicon with a CVD diamondheat spreader structure grown into thesilicon wafer using known SOIfabrication technology. The use ofCVD diamond directly below a GaNFET channel can lower the extremetemperatures in active regions, thusimproving the performance andreliability of a device. The use ofsilicon on diamond (SOD) substrateswith a built-in CVD diamond heatspreader layer is possible in part dueto the advances in diamonddeposition manufacturing technologythat sp3 has developed over the lastdecade.

CVD diamond continues to have asteady demand in the chemicalmechanical planarization (CMP)market. According to Techcet Group,LLC, the forecast for the pad marketis estimated to be $612M by 2016.CVD diamond is an ideal material forCMP pad conditioners due to its wearcharacteristics, chemical inertnessand range of abrasive characteristics.CMP use has escalated insemiconductor manufacturing interms of the number of process stepsusing CMP, the increasing number ofmetallization layers and the number ofmaterials being polished. Thesefactors are driving the requirement forCVD diamond-based conditioningthat delivers finer line widths andcompatibility with the increasingcomplexity of slurries and padtextures. sp3 has successfully coatedsilicon wafers using hot filamenttechnology (Figure 5) for the pastfifteen years and utilized thisexpertise to pioneer a CVD diamond

based pad conditioner for preparingthe pads used in the chemicalmechanical planarization ofsemiconductor wafers in the late 90’s.The pad conditioners are supplied inboth 50mm and 100mm diameters.This product line was later sold to aCMP focused company, has hadsome significant market success andled to the continued improvementsneeded to address sub- 35nm linewidths. sp3’s Model 655 and 665 hotfilament CVD diamond depositionsystems have been proven to

produce quality, uniform diamondfilms at a reduced material cost for awide range of applications. Thereliability and repeatability of CVDdiamond deposition was establishedwith sp3’s Model 655 and double-throughput has been achieved withthe Model 665. Both systems willcontinue to make the commercialavailability of CVD diamond film areality in a wide variety of marketsand correct the mistaken perceptionof diamond as an expensive material. ●

FIGURE 5 – Two Semiconductor CMP Pads with a CVD Diamond Surface

September 10-15, 2012International Manufacturing Technology ShowMcCormack Place • Chicago, Illinois USAwww.imts.com

September 12-13, 2012TRAM Aerospace Conference Trends in Advanced Machining,Materials and ManufacturingChicago, Illinois at IMTSwww.tram-conference.com

October 23-24, 2012MANUFACTURING WITH COMPOSITESCharleston Convention CenterNorth Charleston, SC USAwww.sme.org/mfgcomposites

October 24-25, 2012 • 2012 GlobalForecasting & Marketing ConferenceHyatt Regency St. Louis at The ArchSt. Louis, Missouri USAwww.amtonline.org/calendar

November 1-6, 2012 • JIMTOF 2012Japan Machine Tool FairTokyo International Exhibition CenterTokyo, Japan • www.jimtof.org

November 12, 2012 • FABTECH 2012Las Vegas Convention CenterLas Vegas, NV USAwww.fabtechexpo.com

January 21-23, 2013Industrial DiamondAssociationANNUAL MEETINGDisney’s Grand FloridianOrlando, Florida USAwww.superabrasives.org

February 5-8, 2013 • World of ConcreteLas Vegas Convention CenterLas Vegas, NV USAwww.worldofconcrete.com

May 6-8, 2013

Hyatt Regency Baltimore Harbor

Baltimore, Maryland USAwww.intertechconference.com

To have your event or conference listed,please send information to: Finer Points

Event Calendar • P.O. Box 29460,Columbus OH 43229 • Fax 614-797-2264

or email: [email protected]

Calendar Events for 2013

Visit us at IMTS Booth N-7463



3M Abrasive Systems DivisionWebsite: www.mmm.com

ABC & Warren/Amplex SuperabrasivesWebsite: www.saint-gobain.com

Abrasive TechnologyWebsite: www.abrasive-tech.com

Abrasivos Austromex, S.A. DE C.V.Website: www.austromex.com.mx

Action Superabrasive Products, Inc.Website: www.actionsuper.com

Advanced Abrasives CorporationWebsite: www.advancedabrasives.com

American Superabrasives Corp.Website: www.diamonds-abrasive.com

Anco Industrial Diamond Corp.Website: www.ancodiamond.com

Apogee Precision PartsWebsite: www.natchain.com

Asahi Diamond AmericaWebsite: www.asahidiamond.com

Avure Technologies, Inc.Website: www.avure.com

Bogimac NV-SAWebsite: www.bogimac.com

Bruce Diamond Corp.Website: www.brucediamond.com

Cdp Diamond Products Inc.Website: www.cdpdiamond.com

Chardon Tool & Supply Co., Inc.Website: www.chardontool.com

Cinetic Landis Corp - Citco/GardnerAbrasivesWebsite: www.citcodiamond.com

Continental Diamond Tool Corp.Website: www.cdtusa.net

Crystallume Engineered Diamond ProductsWebsite: www.crystallume.com

Darmann Abrasive ProductsWebsite: www.darmann.com

Delaware Diamond Knives Inc.Website: www.ddk.com

Desmond-Stephen Mfg Co.Website: www.desmond-stephan.com

Diamond Industrial ToolsWebsite: www.todit.com

Dev Industrial Corp.Website: www.dev-group.com

Diamond AssociatesWebsite: www.abrasivesmall.com

Diamond InnovationsWebsite: www.diamondinnovations.com

Dianamic Abrasive Products Inc.Website: www.dianamic.com

Duralor, LLCWebsite: www.duralor.com

Element SixWebsite: www.e6.com

Engis Corp.Website: www.engis.com

Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc.Website: www.fwwd.com

Global Superabrasives, LLCWebsite: www.globalsuperabrasives.com

Greenlee Diamond Tool Co.Website: www.greenleediamond.com

Iljin USA, Inc.Website: www.iljindiamond.com

Industrial Diamond Laboratories Inc.Website: www.industrialdiamondlabs.com

K & Y Diamond LtdWebsite: www.kydiamond.ca

Lach Diamond, Inc.Website: www.lachdiamond.com

Lieber & Solow Co.Lands Superabrasives Co.Website: www.lieberandsolow.com, Website: www.landssuperabrasives.com

Lunzer Inc.Website: www.lunzer.com

Megadiamond Inc.Website: www.megadiamond.com

Michael Werdiger, Inc.Website: www.michaelwerdiger.com

Microdiamant AG/Mypodiamond Inc.Website: www.microdiamant.comWebsite: www.mypodiamond.com

Morgan Advanced Materials & TechnologyWebsite: www.morganplc.com

National Research Co.Website: www.nationalresearchcompany.com

Niabraze Corp.Website: www.niabraze.com

Noritake Co Inc.Website: www.noritake.com

North Jersey Diamond WheelWebsite: www.diamondwheels.com

Pinnacle AbrasivesWebsite: www.pinnaclesf.com

Precision EformingWebsite: www.precisioneforming.com

Protech Diamond Tool Inc.Website: www.protechdiamondtoolsinc.com

Radiac Abrasives Inc.,A Tyrolit CompanyWebsite: www.radiac.com

Scio Diamond TechnologyWebsite: www.sciodiamond.com

sp3 Cutting Tools Inc.Website: www.sp3cuttingtools.com

sp3 Diamond TechnologiesWebsite: www.sp3diamondtech.com

Spec ToolWebsite: www.spec-tool.com

Standard Die & Fabricating Inc.Website: www.standarddie.com

Sumitomo Electric Carbide Inc.Materials GroupWebsite: www.sumicarbide.com/diamondgroup

Superabrasives Inc.Website: www.superabrasives.com

Syntech Abrasives Inc.Website: www.syntechabrasives.com

Tomei Corp. of AmericaWebsite: www.tomeidiamond.com

University of LouisvilleWebsite: www.cvd.louisville.edu

US Synthetic CorporationWebsite: www.ussynthetic.com

Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc.Website: www.ulbrich.com

Vollmer of America CorporationWebsite: www.vollmer-us.com

Wemex Superabrasivos, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.Website: www.wemex.com.mx

Winterthur Wendt USAWebsite: www.winterthurtechnolgy.com

WMS Trading/FACTWebsite: www.wmstrading.comWebsite: www.factdiamond.com

Worldwide Superabrasives, LLCWebsite: www.worldwidesa.com

Zhongnan Diamond Co., LtdWebsite: www.diamond-zn.com

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All CMP polishers have the samebasic components in order toaccomplish this task. There is oneor more platens with a pad on topthat rotates, a wafer head thatholds the wafer and applies adown force to the pad surface, aslurry distribution system todistribute slurry on to the padsurface, a conditioner arm whichholds a CMP conditioner that

rotates and sweeps across the pad surfacerefreshing the pad surface.

There are three major consumables in theCMP process.

1) Slurry- provides the chemical reactionson the surface of the wafer and solidparticles for mechanical interactions withthe wafer surface.

2) Pad- usually made out of polyurethanewhich holds the slurry and provides asurface for the chemical and mechanicalinteraction with the wafer.

3) Conditioner- used to dress the surfaceof the pad continuously refreshing it byremoving spent slurry and debris andconditioning the surface to a consistenttexture.

The conventional CMP conditioner, figure1, is typically a 4” round disk with onesurface containing diamond grit adheredto the surface with a metal bond.Historically the metal bond has evolvedfrom electroplated nickel to either sinteredmetal or brazed metal. This evolution hasgreatly improved the diamond retention,by forming a chemical bond to thediamond grit instead of mechanicallylocking the diamond in place.

However, there are still drawbacks usingthis design principle. Many CMP processesuse low pH slurries or slurries withchemistries that react with sintered metaland braze alloys. Research has shown, thatover time the metal to diamond bond isweakened and the diamond grit can thenfall out of the conditioner. Loose diamondgrit in a CMP polishing process isdetrimental in that it results in scratcheson the wafer causing huge yield losses.More advanced CMP conditioners, figure 2uses CVD diamond as the bond matrix tohold the grit to the conditioner surface.

This has many advantages over the metalbond matrix such as, no diamond pullout

due to strength of bond matrix todiamond grit particle, no bond matrixcorrosion, and no bond matrix erosion. Inaddition, the CVD diamond bond matrixis inert to all CMP slurries so there is nocontamination to the CMP processcoming from conditioners using CVDdiamond as a bond matrix.

A good analogy to understand CMPconditioners is to consider them as “hightech sandpaper”. For example whensanding down a piece of wood, coarsesandpaper will remove more wood fromthe surface in less time than will finesandpaper. However, coarse sandpaper willleave the surface rough where as finesandpaper will leave the surface smooth.This is very much the same for CMPconditioners. For coarse diamond grit, theconditioner will typically have a higherpad cut rate while a fine grain conditionerwill leave the pad surface smoother.

Therefore there is a relationship betweenpad cut rate and pad surface texture basedon the type of conditioner used. Figure 3depicts this relationship. Note that as thegrit size decreases so does the pad cut rateand pad texture. This relationship ofconditioner design to pad cut rate and padtextures also depends on what pad isbeing used. So selection of a CMPconditioner is dependent on the pad andwhat pad texture is need for the particularCMP process.

Ideally you want a conditioner thatprovides the minimum of pad cut rate tooptimize the life of the pad, yet create apad texture that gives the desired CMPperformance.

Advanced nodes are requiring smootherand smoother pad texture to reduce theeffects of dishing and erosion. Dishingand erosion are two terms used in CMPreferring to surface phenomenon thatresult in the surface not being planar. Bothof these phenomena have become moreprevalent as the node size has reduced.However, dishing and erosion also isdirectly related to the pad texture. Asmoother pad texture creates less dishingand erosion. Therefore for advanced nodesend users prefer smoother pad texture.This can be accomplished by conditionerdesign or pad design or both. The logicalsolution from a conditioner perspectivewould be to reduce the diamond size.

NEW CONCEPT CONDITIONER MADE BY ANENGINEERED SURFACE COATED WITH CVD DIAMOND

DAVID SLUTZ, Morgan Technical Ceramics


Chemical MechanicalPlanarization (CMP) is a hightech lapping process used in themanufacture of semiconductorwafers. The process not onlypolishes the surface of a waferto a high surface finish, it alsoprovides a super planar surfacefor the next step in themanufacture of semiconductordevices. CMP is performed onspecially design toolsmanufactured for this specificpurpose.

Figure 1: Convention CMP Conditioner

▼

Figure 2: CMP Conditioner made using CVD Diamond Bond Matrix ▼

However, there are limitations on howsmall the diamond can be from amanufacturing perspective, as well as, aperformance perspective.

An alternative to produce smooth padtextures is to manufacture a conditionerthat cuts the pad with an edge instead ofwith points. This is analogous to removingthe surface of wood with a plane insteadof sandpaper. Figure 4 shows such aconditioner that was manufacturing by anengineered surface coated with CVDdiamond. This conditioner does not haveany diamond grit and the active region onthis conditioner is the CVD diamondcoated edges, not diamond grit points.

CONDITIONER TYPE AND PAD TEXTUREAn experiment was performed toinvestigate the effect of conditioner typeon the pad texture for a copper process. Atypical copper process was performedusing 200-mm blanket copper wafers, IC1020 M groove pad, 200 ml of Fujimi PL-7103 slurry + 800 ml of DI H2O + 33grams of 30% ultra pure H2O2 and fourdifferent conditioner types; coarsediamond conditioner, medium diamondconditioner, fine diamond conditioner,and a new edge design conditioner. Twometrology techniques, interferometry andlaser confocal microscopy, were used tomeasure the pad texture in depth.

Interferometry gives a surface heightdistribution as depicted in figures 5. Thesurface height is composed of threecomponents, an exponential componentfrom the porosity of the pad (green), aGaussian component from surfaceconditioning component (blue), andanother Gaussian component frompolishing effects (red). The top surface ofthe pad (red) is the portion that contactsthe wafer and understanding thecharacteristics of that top surface will helpbring further understanding as to whatsurface gives the optimized CMPperformance. Secondly, is to understandthe subsurface (blue) which supports thetop surface giving stiffness to the topsurface and effecting the interaction of thetop surface to the wafer surface. For thisstudy we will not be concerned with theunderlying pore structure of the pad. Thefirst measurement of the top surface as

discussed earlier is the surfaceroughness of the pad as measuredfrom the surface height distributionknown as surface abruptness λ.Figure 6 show a typical surfaceprobability curve for a CMP Pad. A value λcan be calculated by the x component ofthe slope of the curve when the y value is1/e. Therefore an increase in λ means anincrease in surface texture.

A similar distribution can be obtainedfrom interferometry known as summitheight distribution. Summit heightdistribution differs from surface heightdistribution because the heights arerelative to mean height of the samplesurface and not the total height.This gives a distribution of theasperity heights and filters out theeffects from pad porosity andeliminates very small geometries.This method is a characterizationof the top two regions of the padthat we are interested in studying,conditioning and polishingregimes. For the five conditionerssummit height distributions wereobtained. From thosedistributions the average height,asperity height, and % of largeasperities, as defined as asperitiesgreater than 20 µ, weredetermined. Figure 7 shows a plotof these two features for each of the fiveconditioners. The mean asperity heightand larger asperities both decreases withdecreasing diamond size. The edge styleconditioner had slightly smaller meanasperity heights, but significantly less largeasperities as expected from the knife edgetype of cutting as opposed to pointcutting.

Another important feature tounderstand besides asperity heightis the shape of the top of theasperities. From interferometry adistribution of the inverse of theradius of curvature of the asperitytops can be determined. From thedistribution both the meansharpness and percentage of verysharp asperities can be determined.Figure 8 gives the results for the fiveconditioners tested. The trend isdecreasing sharpness withdecreasing diamond size. However, for theedge style conditioner the sharpness is


Figure 3: Pad cut Rate verses Pad Texture

▼

Figure 4: Next Generation Conditioner Using Cutting Edges▼

Figure 5: ThreeComponents ofPad Texture

▼

▼

Figure 6: Surface Height ProbabilityDensity

▼


between coarse diamondand fine diamond. It makessense that there are differentcutting mechanisms, pointcutting verses edge cutting,

will produce different asperity shapes.

So far this study has been characterizingthe total texture of the pad surface. Wediscussed the three components of the pad

as it applies to the crosssection of the pad. Now wewill discuss the threecomponents of the pad as itapplies to the plane of thepad surface. First, contactarea which is the portion ofthe pad asperities that isactually in contact with thewafer surface. Second, nearcontact area which is theregion near a pad asperitywhere slurry can interactwith the wafer surface.Finally, there is the largeregion of the pad which

does not contact or interact with the wafer,but allows for slurry flow under the wafer.Laser confocal microscopy is a method bywhich you can measure the contact area ofthe pad. Figure 9 is one of the laserconfocal microscopy images of the padsurface for a medium conditioner. Thecontact area regions are black, the noncontact regions are grey, and the nearcontact regions are striped.

Several laser confocal microscopy imageswere determined for each of the fiveconditioners. The average area andnumber of contact points were determinedand are depicted in figure 10. In addition,historical data for traditional conditioners

that do not use CVDdiamond are depicted infigure 10 as single crystalpoint cutting. Notice thatthe traditional conditionersproduce very little contactarea. However, the CVDdiamond point cuttingconditioners produce highdensity and high percentagecontact area. The edgeconditioners producemoderate % of contact areawith a relatively highnumber of contacts. Thissuggests that for edge

conditioners there are a lot of smallcontacts. This can explain the highersharpness in figure 8 for edgeconditioners. Since the contact areas aresmall the inverse of the radius of curvaturewould be high due to the size of theasperity.

Contact area size distribution can bedetermined from the laser confocalmicroscopy images. From the distributionsboth mean contact area size andpercentage of large areas can bedetermined. Figure 11 shows the results foreach of the five conditioners tested. Foredge conditioning there are very few largeareas and overall the mean size of thecontact area is also small.

We have discussed total area, size, andnumber of contacts, but not the shape ofthe contact area. It was noted that theshapes of the contacts areas are differentfor the five conditioners. For the coarseconditioner the contact area shapes weremostly round or aspect ratio near one. Forthe medium grit sized conditioner therewas a mixture of round and elongatedcontact areas. For fine grit conditioner thecontact areas were predominatelyelongated. However, the edge conditionersproduce elongated and curled shapeswhich were not found in the images forgritted conditioners. How the shape of thecontact areas effect the CMP performanceis not known, but it is only logical that itmust have an effect.

COPPER PROCESS DATAThis section will discuss the copperremoval rate and uniformity of the testwafer. Figure 12 gives the copper removalrate and uniformity for all fiveconditioners. The copper removal rate anduniformity for the three grittedconditioner was similar with a slightdecrease for the fine gritted conditioner.However, it was surprising that the edgeconditioner gave a 50% increase in copperremoval rate without any significantincrease in uniformity.

CMP process by definition is bothmechanical and chemical for the removalof the desired material. Copper CMP ismore chemical than mechanical. Thereforea copper process is more sensitive to smalltemperature changes. Likewise if theprocess were more mechanical then there

Figure 8: Mean Asperity Sharpness &Percentage of Sharp Asperities ▼

Figure 7: Mean Asperity Height and Percentage of Larger Asperities

▼Figure 10: Average % Contact Area andContact Area Density ▼

Figure 9: Example of Confocal MicroscopyImage

▼


is a higher sensitivity to coefficient offriction. Both coefficient of friction andpad temperature were measured duringthese blanket wafer polishing runs. Figure13a shows that for coefficient of frictionboth point cutting and edge cutting havethe same slope. However, the edge cuttingis offset by 42%. Figure 13b gives therelationship of copper removal rate andpad temperature. Clearly the edgeconditioning gives a shallower slope thanthe point cutting. This suggests that edgeconditioning is less sensitive totemperature than point cutting. Both ofthese figures suggest that edgeconditioning produces a different padsurface that has a different mechanism forcopper removal and has the benefit ofincreased material removal rate with nodecrease in uniformity.

Another important parameter in CMP isthe pad cut rate. This is a measure of theremoval of the pad surface primarily bythe CMP conditioner. The ideal situationis to remove as little pad as possible andmaintain as high a material removal rateas possible. This would optimize the lifeof the pad and optimize the throughput ofwafers resulting in reducing the total costof ownership for the process. Figure 14gives the pad cut rates for the fiveconditioners. Both edge conditioners hadextremely low pad cut rates. This issurprising since both edge conditionershad very high material removal rate.Historically in CMP to increase material

removal rate you need amore aggressive conditionerwhich increases the pad cutrate. However, the edgeconditioner design producesa pad surface that still provides for highmaterial removal rate with very low padcut rates.

DISCUSSION & RESULTSEdge conditioners produce asmoother pad texture withfewer large asperities, a lowpercentage of contact areacomprised of a moderatenumber of small contactareas with a curled elongatedshape, asperities withmoderate sharpnessprimarily due to the smallerasperity size. In addition,edge conditioners have avery low pad cut rate yetresults show a 50% increasein copper removal rate. Theincreased copper removal rate could notbe explained by either increase incoefficient of friction or anincrease in pad temperature.All this suggests that theedge conditioner produces apad surface that has adifferent mechanismoccurring for copper removalover the conventionalconditioner designs. ●

Figure 12: Copper Removal Rate andUniformity▼

Figure 11: Mean Contact Area Size and % ofLarge Contact Areas

▼

Figure 13: Relationship of Copper RemovalRate to a) COF. b) Pad Temperature▼

Figure 14: Normalized Pad Cut Rate▼

Using the CVD process, continuous diamond films can be deposited on avariety of non-ferrous metals and ceramics. Materials like silicon, siliconcarbide, silicon nitride, titanium, tungsten, and aluminum nitride are readilydiamond coated, and diamond films grown by CVD have become importantengineering materials impacting diverse areas of manufacturing. From factoryfloor machining in the form of diamond coated machine tools, to packaging ofhigh power, high speed electronics in heat spreaders form with thermalconductivity four times that of copper (Figure 1), CVD diamond is a materialwith tangible benefits.

Other proven fields of application includes the use of diamond in fabrication ofthin membranes for Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) or lithographicmasks, and the use of diamond for fabrication of high frequency SurfaceAcoustic Wave (SAW) filters. And the recently developed integration of CVDdiamond substrate with GaN towards the development of high power HEMTs isa harbinger of more novel implementation for this unique material to critical pathtechnologies.

Thin, Smooth Diamond Films and MembranesImage-placement distortion control is one of the most critical parameters ofmasks fabricated for NGL (Next Generation Lithography). Since NGL masks arefabricated on thin, non-rigid membranes, the quality of the substrate material isof utmost importance. It should possess a high degree of mechanical stiffnessin order to resist any in-plane distorting forces that occur as a result ofprocessing. A key measure of material strength is the Young's modulus ofelasticity. Diamond films have a greater Young's modulus (900 GPa) than boron-doped silicon (160 GPa), silicon carbide (450 GPa) or silicon nitride (350 GPa).For example, a 1 µm thick diamond membrane is required to provide the samemechanical stiffness as a 2-µm silicon carbide or a 5-µm boron-doped siliconmembrane. X-ray mask modeling work has shown that diamond membranemasks can have up to 30% less in-plane distortion than masks with silicon-carbide membranes of the same thickness. Also, in comparison to siliconnitride, with increased rigidity of a diamond membrane it will be possible towiden the grid spacing of the electron beam mask giving more usable maskarea and high throughput. Furthermore, the superior thermal properties ofdiamond will also result in less distortion due to reduced mask heating duringscanning.

Diamond films grown by conventional processes exhibit grain growth that isproportional to the thickness of the film. Grain size measured looking down atthe top surface of the film is typically 30% of the film thickness. We havesuccessfully developed a process that controls the grain size and the grain sizeuniformity of diamond films during growth. With this process it is possible toachieve ultra-smooth diamond surfaces. The grain size remains constantregardless of the thickness of the film up to about 2 microns. Beyond twomicrons, the grain size increases but grows to a much smaller size than in filmsdeposited by conventional processes. A micrograph of the typical diamond aswell as of the smooth CVD diamond film appears in Figure 2.

Characterization methods, such as SEM, AFM, and X-Ray diffraction, havedemonstrated that the smooth diamond films are formed of nano-crystallinestructures with average grain size of less than 10 nanometers (Figure 3). AFMcharacterization shows a mean roughness (Ra) of 7 to 10 nanometers (4-nm isthe lowest measured). The nominal thickness of these films is 2 microns but itcan be as thin as 0.1 micron with a mean roughness (Ra) of less than 4nanometers depending on the application. Thickness uniformity is very good withthickness variations of less than 5% over the entire wafer. X-ray (Figure 4) andelectron diffraction has confirmed the absence of any graphitic phase carbon.

Deposition of diamond films through plasma chemical vapor deposition(CVD) techniques is now a routine technology and is the subject ofindustrial interest in the United States and abroad. In this technology,mixtures of hydrogen and methane are ionized under appropriateconditions, causing diamond films to nucleate and grow on suitablesubstrates. Although the plasma chemistry underlying this phenomenonis still subject of some debate, the factual basis for deposition ofgenuine diamond in thin or thick film has been unambiguouslyestablished. Enough empirical process technology and data on CVDdiamond films have been generated to facilitate the integration of thematerial into selected engineering applications, with products based onthe material now on the market.

FIGURE 1: Temperature profile of the same production diemounted on copper and diamond heat spreaders.


Development of High Quality,Tailored CVDDiamond UsingHot Filaments

By: Chris Engdahl, Technology DevelopmentCrystallume Engineered Diamond Products

Die Temperature with Copper Spreader

Die Temperature with Diamond Spreader

Moderately Thick Diamond Films for SAW ApplicationsDiamond possess the highest value of sonic (i.e. Rayleigh wave) velocity of anymaterial by virtue of the extreme value of its Young’s modulus (~1000 GPa) andits relatively low density (3.5 gm/cm) as given by: V ~ √(G/r) where G is theshear modulus and r is density. While diamond is not piezoelectric, it can becombined with a piezoelectric material in a layered structure similar toZnO/glass SAW devices. In this configuration, a thin piezoelectric material isdeposited on top of the diamond and the electrical signal at the transducer canexcite a SAW wave in the diamond. Since the energy of the SAW wave isconfined to within several wavelengths of the surface, only a moderately thick(<30um) layer of diamond is needed for signal transmission.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional schematic of a diamond SAW structure. In thiscase about 25 microns of diamond is deposited by chemical vapor deposition(CVD) onto a standard silicon wafer, which acts as convenient structural supportfor the device as well as an excellent nucleation surface for the diamond. Themetal transducers and a thin piezoelectric material are deposited on the surfaceof the diamond.

Calculations have shown that diamond SAW structures should have velocities inexcess of 10,000 m/sec., depending on the piezoelectric material chosen. Withsonic velocities of this magnitude, it is possible to make SAW devices operatingat frequencies in excess of 2 GHz without resorting to extremely narrow line-widths. In addition, for the less advanced SAW devices operating at below 2GHz, the use of diamond can relax the current lithography requirements,resulting in higher yields and lower cost.

High Thermal Conductivity Thick Films for Point-of-Use Heat SpreadingIntegration and attachment of as-deposited thick diamond film to compoundsemiconductor holds the key to the successful commercialization of the nextgeneration of high power, high frequency HEMT transistors. With that point offocus, we have succeeded in developing very high quality, high thermalconductivity on-silicon or in free-standing diamond substrates.

Of the many excitation methods available for diamond deposition, hot filamentCVD has always been uniquely advantageous due to the low cost, theconformal coating of 3-D objects and the ease of scale up. Recentadvancement in hardware and process development has led to deposition ofmaterial with the highest quality in terms of impurity content, electronic andoptical properties, with fewer liabilities of power inefficiency and excess heatremoval compared with other methods. Historically, it has been believed thatother (microwave, arc-jet, etc.) enhanced CVD techniques are solely capable ofproducing the higher quality diamond. We present data on very high thermalconductivity CVD diamond deposited by hot filament and highly suitable for thenext generation of heat-spreader in the form of ALoD (Active Layer onDiamond). Figure 6, shows a free-standing, 100-um thick, 75-mm diameter,translucent and relatively flat ( peak to peak warp of ~ 400-um).

The in-plane, thermal conductivity of the material was measured in collaborationwith an outside source by using simple Joule heating thermometry. Thecalculation is by using two simple equations that follows:

1. Thermal resistance is calculated by: R = ∆T/Power

2. Thermal conductivity is calculated by: k = L/RA

The basic outline of the technique is presented in Figure 7.


FIGURE 2: Typical CVD Diamond Film Surface on the left.Smooth CVD Diamond Film Surface on the right.

FIGURE 4: X-ray Diffraction Spectra of Four Crystallume Diamond Films.

The top spectrum corresponds to a large grain diamond filmand is shown here for comparison. The three bottom spectracorrespond to smooth diamond films. The peaks centered at:43.9, 75.3, and 91.5 are related to orientations (111), (220),

and (311) of the diamond crystal structure. No graphiticstructure signals were present.

FIGURE 3:

AFM Data for the Smooth Film

FIGURE 7: The basic layout of the measured sample, heater, thermocouples and heat-sink (courtesy of CSTR technology, LLC)


WHERE:

TC1 (thermocouple 1 reading): Temperature of the spot closer to heater

TC2 (thermocouple 2 reading): Temperature of the spot closer to sink

L: The fixed distance between the two thermocouple tips

A: Cross sectional area of the diamond strip

Power (dissipated power) = IV (from measured values)

∆T (differential temperature) = TC1-TC2 (from measured values)

The vast improvement in the quality of the film and bulk thermal conductivity isachieved by increasing atomic hydrogen density (from higher power density),while maintaining a very tight silicon substrate temperature, and reducing themethane concentration without any drastic reduction in diamond growth rate(Figure 8). Near interface thermal conductivity was improved by altering theseeding techniques and utilizing multi-step step nucleation.

The Hot Filament ChamberWe have developed and convincingly demonstrated a proprietary chamber andprocess for coating of multiple electronic grade substrates with extremediamond quality. This technique has the capability to be easily adapted to aproduction setting, where it has the potential to bring about dramatic reductionsin the cost of producing diamond coatings and films. This has been achievedby implementing the following:

1. New ultra-cooled chucks enable high power density processing.

2. Restricted the list of inert material used in the hot zone.

3. Significantly reduced the nitrogen background in the reaction chamber.

4. Dynamic heat-sinking achieved through adjustable, heat conductive,hydrogen cushion.

5. Elimination of all metal alloys from the hot zone.

The chambers are PLC controlled and operated, and the multi-wafer chambersare capable of coating four 100-mm substrates concurrently (Figure 9). A singlewafer chamber (Figure 10) has also been developed and is now available foruse in research and development institutions. ●

FIGURE 5: Schematic Cross-Sectional Diagram of a SAW Structure Incorporating a Diamond Film

FIGURE 8: Material with Different k and Level of Translucence

FIGURE 10: Single Wafer R&D Chamber

FIGURE 6: Hot Filament Deposited Diamond with k ~ 1300-400 w/m.K

FIGURE 9:

Pictures of Multi-Wafer Chambers


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Is the real “disruptive technology innovation” ofcultured diamond for the industrial world, “massproduction?” Throughout the last six or sevendecades man has produced, in one shape oranother, “man-made” diamond. It has many namesincluding cultured diamond, lab-grown diamond,man-made diamond, HPHT, CVD, etc. Some haveeven attempted to place CZ into this category.

As is the case in most industries, only a few survive. Thosecompanies that are surviving today, few that they are, can trulymake “diamond.” Not natural diamond, not pretend diamond, but

“REAL DIAMOND.”

There are literally so many potential applicationsfor industrial diamond that the demand cannot bemet. Moreover, the quantities now being suppliedare not being produced economically, limiting thereal quantities demanded. The failure to produceeconomically feasible diamond for industrial useis robbing the world of the material’s dynamicbenefit.

DIAMOND GROWTHScio Diamond’s mission is to end the drought.Scio Diamond has just begun production of CVDSingle Crystal Diamond in Greenville, SC. Itspatented methodologies and processes,combined now with good manufacturingdiscipline, support Scio’s drive to massproduction. Scio has started its mass productionadvancement process that will culminate in theproduction of over 150,000 gross carats of

diamond annually from less than 15 reactors. The core of this massproduction drive will be the application of Scio’s multiple patentedgrowing technologies. Scio’s proven process for seed replication

and harvesting and Mosaic seed creation allows itto advance rapidly from its production startup ofmultiple diamond seeds measuring up to twentyfour (5mm x 5mm) to multiple Mosaic seedsmeasuring at a minimum of 25mm x 25mm, in thesame reactor. Note, for comparison purposes, thegrow time for all runs in this article isapproximately 7 days. The expected up time ofthe reactors is 90% or greater.

The S3532 technology is used initially for Scio’sself-sustaining seed production, as well asnumerous industrial uses, specifically in thecutter blade market sector. Upon completion of aS3532 growth run, each seed will yield a roughdiamond of approximately 2 gross carats or up to64 gross carats per run.

DIAMONDPRODUCTIONINNOVATIONMass Production

By: MICHAEL MCMAHON – COOScio Diamond Technology Corporation

The photo above shows Scio’s S3532 technology. This picture shows 2, 4 5mm x 5mm seeds in the reactorgrowing simultaneously.

The photo above shows Scio’s S31M technology. This picture shows a 25mm x 25mm seed, with approximately750 microns of growth after a single day’s growth.

This photo shows Scio’s S35M technology. The picture shows 5, 25mm x 25mm seeds, with approximately 750 microns of growth.


Following the successful completion of Scio’s growth run at S3532technology, Scio will implement its 2nd phase of proven S3724technology. The S3724 technology is generally the same as S3532but with differences in the seed size and the number of seeds onthe growing platform. The minimum size seed in these runs is7mm x 7mm. This technology will yield up to 92 rough grosscarats per run or a 48% increase over the S3532 technology.

These two technologies are based on Scio’s 3” growing platform.It should be noted that each of these technologies could beincreased dramatically by changing to the 4” growing platform,thereby increasing growing capability by another 78%. The grosscarat yield expectation would expand in line with that capability.

In parallel with the production runs using S3532 and S3724technologies, Scio Diamond will be growing its larger seeds. Thisis accomplished by using a patented Mosaic Process.

The Scio Grown Diamond Mosaic Separation is the patentedprocess used by Scio to replicate and then fuse multiple seeddiamonds. This process allows for separation at an atomic level,making possible the production of large volume single crystals.

Depending on product demand, Scio will be progressivelycreating seeds in multiple bar and plate formations to adapt tocustomers’ specific needs. This configuration will use the provenS31M and S48M technologies. Seed sizes will be created to growproduct ranging from 5mm x 10mm x 1/2mm thick, to 28mm x28mm x 5mm thick.

At full growth this diamond plate will measure 25mm x 25mm x 4-5mm thick, yielding 39-49 gross carats of diamond from eachplate. The yield of 39-49 diamond gross carats is dependent onfinished thickness and actual seed width and length. In addition,Scio will make customized bars of diamond focusing on specificclients, or a cluster of clients desiring similar requirements. Forinstance, if a 3mm x 2mm x 1mm finished diamond part isneeded, Scio will optimize the growth dimensions to enableefficient fabrication of the final product.

At full growth on non-specialized runs, the S35M technologyutilizing five 25mm x 25mm Scio generated seeds will producebetween 195 and 245 gross carats per run.

Scio’s most recent proven technology is its S48M generation (notpictured). The S48M, which begins with eight 25mm x 25mmseeds and at full growth, is 4-5mm thick, yielding between 312and 392 diamond gross carats per run. Each of theaforementioned technologies will average approximately 45 runsper year.

FABRICATIONGiven this mass production of cultured diamond for industrialuses, the need for increased capability for fabrication andpolishing becomes the next hurdle. Diamond growth is not a labor-intensive business. While multiple growers, once started and incycle, can be run by one operator, great attention to detail isneeded in operating lasers and polishing operations and the ratioof labor to machine is higher.

Example: The Scio S35M technology at 1.2MM growth thicknessproduces approximately 55 gross carats per 3 day run. Now yourclient wants you to produce 3mm x 2mm x 1mm cutter blades andthey need to be polished on top and bottom. How many bladescan you get from (5) five, 25mm x 25mm x 1.2mm seamlessdiamond plates? The math tells you with a 20% kerf loss youwould have approximately 400. If your client wants 1,000 of theseper month, how many lasers and operators will you need tofabricate and polish for this single customer? ●

While some producers have the ability tomake beautiful gemstones in varyingcolors and grades, the industrial need fordiamond is almost beyond belief.Through research and developmentefforts around the world, hundreds, if notthousands, of brilliant scientists andPhD’s have developed a multitude ofuses for diamond in the industrial andcommercial arenas. More are beingdeveloped every day.

USES INDUSTRIES

Acoustic AerospaceCrushing AutomotiveDrilling ConstructionElectromechanical Consumer GoodsElectronics ElectronicsMedical EnvironmentalMilling HealthcareOptical LasersPrecision Machining MiningSawing Oil/GasWear Resistance Optics

Power / UtilitiesTunnelingWire Forming

SUMMARY

What does all this mean to theindustrial diamond market? It is GOODNEWS! As more and more diamond isavailable and production iseconomically scalable, the hundreds ofindustrial applications have a muchgreater chance of coming to fruition forthe masses and allowing the world toexperience the impact of life-alteringtechnology that diamond can bring.Through innovation and the applicationof proven science and technologies andmatching that with GMP processes, largequantities of diamond material can benow be made economically per clientrequirements.


Industrial Diamond Association of America, Inc.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONCompany _____________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________________City ____________________________________________ State _______ Zip Code/Postal Code ______________ Country _________________________________Shipping Address (Can not ship to PO Box)__________________________________________________________________________________________________City ____________________________________________ State _______ Zip Code/Postal Code ______________ Country _________________________________Phone ________________________________________________________ Fax __________________________________________________________________E-mail ________________________________________________________ Web Site ______________________________________________________________Official Representative __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Others (Participating in IDA Activities) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________Principle Business Activity_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Which applies to your company: _______ Corporation _______ Partnership _______ Sole ProprietorshipProvide names of principle officers or partners: _______________________________________________________________________________________________When was your company established? __________ List at least two business references which are current IDA REGULAR MEMBERS. REQUIRED for Consideration

How long has your company been engaged in ____ 1. _______________________________________________________________________________________superabrasive/ultra-hard material industry?_______ 2. _______________________________________________________________________________________

CHECK APPROPRIATE MEMBERSHIP

_______ Regular MembershipAny company and/or individual classified as a superabrasive/ultra-hard material supplier, tool maker, machine tool builderor related business which HAS an office and a local, state or province business license in the United States, Canada orMexico is eligible for membership in this category. Only one individual shall be designated by each member company asthe IDA Delegate with voting and other privileges described in the By-Laws.

(DUES CATEGORY)The dues category for Regular Members is determined by annual sales volume expressed in US $ as indicated below.Check to appropriate category:_____ Category 1 $2,650 per year Over $20,000,000 Annual Sales_____ Category 2 $1,990 per year $10,000,000 - $19,999,999 Annual Sales_____ Category 3 $1,750 per year $6,000,000 - $9,999,999 Annual Sales_____ Category 4 $1,350 per year Under $2,000,000 - $5,999,999 Annual Sales_____ Category 5 $995 per year Under $1,999,999 Annual Sales

______ International MembershipAny company and/or individual in the diamond and/or cBN business which DOES NOT have an office and a local, state orprovince business license in the United States, Canada or Mexico is eligible for membership in this category. AnInternational member shall have all the privileges of regular membership, except that he/she cannot vote at anymembership meetings, participate in statistical reporting for the North American market, hold proxies or serve in any office inIDA. Annual fee for International Member is $3990 per year.

_______ Associate MembershipAvailable for companies having a principal office in the U.S.A., Canada or Mexico, which are providing products orservices to companies within the superabrasive/ultra-hard material industry, but are not engaged in selling, using ordealing in industrial diamonds, cubic boron nitride, compacted diamond/cbn, diamond film or products containingdiamonds/cbn. An Associate member shall have all the privileges of regular membership, except that the Delegate cannotvote at any membership meetings, participate in statistical reporting for the North American market, hold proxies or serve inany office in IDA. Annual fee for an Associate is $515 per year.

_______ End User/Contractor MembershipAvailable for any global companies or individuals, which USE products classified as superabrasives or ultra-hard materials,but are NOT ENGAGED IN SELLING industrial diamonds, cubic boron nitride, compacted diamond/cbn, diamond film orproducts containing diamonds/cbn. An End User/Contractor member shall have all the privileges of regular membership,except that the Delegate cannot vote at any membership meetings, participate in statistical reporting for the North Americanmarket, hold proxies or serve in any office in IDA. Annual fee for an End User/Contractor is $386 per year.

_______ Academia/Research MembershipAny non-profit Academic institution or R & D organization is eligible for membership in this category. An Academia/Research/ member shall have all the privileges of regular membership, except that the Delegate cannot vote at anymembership meetings, participate in statistical reporting for the North American market, hold proxies or serve in any office inIDA. Annual fee for Academia/Research is $155 per year.

_______ Student MembershipAny FULL TIME Student NOT ENGAGED IN SELLING industrial diamonds, cubic boron nitride, compacted diamond/cbn,diamond film or products containing diamonds/cbn is eligible for membership in this category. A Student shall have all theprivileges of regular membership, except that he/she cannot vote at any membership meetings, participate in statisticalreporting for the North American market, hold proxies or serve in any office in IDA.Annual fee for a Student Membership is$77 per year.

_______ Senior MembershipAny individual who has worked for and/or retired from an IDA Member company or is no longer active in the diamond orCBN business is eligible for membership in this category. A senior member shall have all the privileges of regularmembership, except that he/she cannot vote at any membership meetings, participate in statistical reporting, hold proxies orserve in any office in IDA. Annual fee for a Senior is $52 per year.

Name of Delegate Member:___________________________________________________________________________________

Title: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

E-Mail: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

* Applications for ALL Memberships are reviewed by the Board of Directors and must be approved by a two-thirds vote.

_______ Affiliate MembershipEach company that enrolls as an IDA Member is entitled to have a second person at that company designated an AffiliateMember. The first Affiliate member will receive IDA material at no further cost. Additional persons at Member companies canbe added as Affiliate Members to receive IDA materials. Annual fee for additional Affiliates is $98 per person. Name of 1stAffiliate Member (no charge):

Name of 1st Affiliate Member (no charge): ______________________________________________________________________

Name of 2nd Affiliate Member ($98): ___________________________________________________________________________

Name of 3rd Affiliate Member ($98):____________________________________________________________________________

If your company wants more Affiliate Members, please attach additional sheets.

WHAT IS THE IDA?The Industrial Diamond Association ofAmerica, Inc. is a non-profit tradeassociation and was incorporated onMarch 29, 1946 in the State of New York.It is the oldest and most prestigiousassociation in the superabrasive/ultrahardmaterials industry. Activity and focus hasevolved from natural diamond tosuperabrasives and most recently, to allultrahard materials including CVDDiamond. Members include materialsuppliers, tool manufacturers, componentproducers, machine tool builders, endusers, academia/research affiliates andother companies related to the research,manufacture, application, use and sales ofsuperabrasives.

WHAT DOES THE IDA DO?◆ Oversees Statistics Reporting Program◆ Establishes Industry Standards◆ Interacts With Global Associations And Organizations◆ Creates And Distributes Market Studies & Data◆ Organizes And Presents Technical Seminars &

Conferences◆ Serves As A Government Liaison For Industry

Guidelines And Regulations◆ Participates As Member Of World Diamond Council◆ Provides Safety / Regulatory Reports And Advisement◆ Resource For General Information And Consultation

OTHER MEMBER SERVICES◆ PUBLISHES QUARTERLY MAGAZINE◆ HOLDS ANNUAL CONVENTIONS◆ HOSTS IDA WEBSITE WITH MEMBER FOCUS

AND DIRECTION◆ PROVIDES SPECIFIC ASSISTANCE ON

INDIVIDUAL MEMBER ISSUES◆ CREATES AND DISTRIBUTES PUBLICATIONS

ON PRODUCTS AND APPLICATIONS◆ ACTS AS A COLLECTIVE VOICE FOR

INDUSTRY CONCERNS

FAX completed membership form to 614-797-2264


INTRODUCTIONCubic boron nitride (cBN) nano and micro particles integratedcomposite coating with trade name of TuffTek®, as an innovative route torealize thick functional cBN coating (>4 µm) with superb adhesion, havedemonstrated excellent performance (tool life and workpiece surfacefinish) in machining range of parts from ferrous materials, powdermetals, wood composites with abrasive particles, polymeric composites,and even great application potential in machining high-temperaturealloys. Particularly, through these patented and patent pendingtechnologies, the composite coating on carbide inserts in continuousturning AISI 4340 hardened steel with hardness of 50~54 Rc hasproduced tool wear rate, (tip-to-tip comparison), similar to that ofpolycrystalline boron nitride (PCBN) tipped inserts, and performancesuperior to state-ofthe- art precisely ground bulk Al2O3 inserts includingthe ones with PVD coating. In this follow up brief case study, a briefdiscussion on the most recent breakthrough development of cBNcomposite coating is included. Additionally, a case study in continuousturning AISI 4340 hardened steel (<54 Rc) is incorporated. The casestudy uses cBN composite coated carbide inserts compared to benchmarkof bulk Al2O3 inserts (with about 30% TiC) from three differentmanufacturers at customers’ typical application condition.

MOST UPDATED COATING DEVELOPMENTFor coating architecture, in addition to early single phase infiltrant suchas TiN, TiC and TiCN, the composite coatings with multiple infiltrantsand architectured in stacked layered structure including oxide phaseshave been added to new generation of TuffTek® product family to meetcustomers’ desire for high productivity. A typical example of such coatingconfiguration is shown in Figure 1. In this layered patented coatingstructure, a composite coating of cBN particles (density as high as65~70%), as a thermal barrier layer, and a transitional layer are evident.While the early single infiltrant composite coating has deliveredimpressive application-specific need, the layered coating architecture issignificantly expanding advanced application spectrum.To further enhance the machining productivity, the composite coatinghas been successfully applied to ceramic inserts such as bulk Al2O3 andSi3N4 inserts for its respective applications. As evident in Figure 2, a welladherent cBN composite coating as thin as 3 µm was applied to bulk

Cubic Boron Nitride (cBN)Composite Coating, TuffTek®

for Carbide and Ceramic ToolsUpdates on Breakthrough Innovationfor Advancing Applications Paradigm

Wenping Jiang, Director of Manufacturing, NanoMech Inc.Ajay P. Malshe, Chief Technology Officer and Founder, NanoMech Inc.

FIGURE 1: SEM micrograph showing the cross-section of a typical layered structure of cBN composite coating.

FIGURE 2: SEM micrograph showing a thin cBN composite coating on bulk Al2O3 inserts.

FIGURE 3: Graph showing flank wear progression of cBN compositecoated carbide inserts vs. Al2O3 bulk inserts from threedifferent suppliers (A, B and C).


FIGURE 4: Optical images showing TuffTek® coated inserts (A & B)and bulk Al2O3 inserts with PVD TiN coating (C & D)

Al2O3 inserts. In turning 8620 case hardened steel (~58 Rc), breakthroughcoating architecture has extended tool life as much as 80%.

CASE STUDYTurning AISI 4340 hardened alloy steel is known for excessive craterwear, flank wear, and notch generation due to work hardening. Typicalcutting tools for such machining includes PCBN tipped inserts or PCBNbulk inserts, Al2O3 bulk inserts in its precisely ground form or with PVDcoating, and CVD multiple-layer coating carbide inserts. Depending uponturning conditions and specific hardness of the workpieces, PCBN insertsand Al2O3 based inserts are the primary choices. In this application sector,the cBN composite coating on carbide inserts offers unique advancementwith enhanced tool performance (crater and flank wear resistance) andbig cost saving, ROI. Figure 3 shows the tool wear progression of cBNcomposite coating (TuffTek®) in comparison to bulk Al2O3 inserts, fromthree different best suppliers A, B and C, for continuous turning 4340hardened steel (51~54 Rc) at V=150 m/min, f=0.15 mm/rev, DoC=0.25mm with cutting fluid. The inserts from A and C are with PVD TiNcoating. Based on the results, we can conclude (A) all the ceramic bulkinserts have higher flank wear than that of TuffTek® coated inserts; (B)TuffTek® has much lower wear rate than the ceramic inserts. The lowflank wear helps to hold tight dimensions of workpieces. Optical analysisof the tool wear demonstrated an even abrasive wear on both flank andcrater surfaces (Figure 4A and B), while ceramic inserts experiencedexcessive flank wear and crater wear (Figure 4C and D). ●

SUMMARY: New architectures of cBN composite coatings have offered flexibility to coat carbide inserts as well asceramic inserts. Depending on different applications, they can be configured with either single infiltrantphase or multiple infiltrant phases allowing unique architectures. The composite coatings producesuperb tool life in comparison to benchmark bulk ceramic inserts in continuous turning 4340 hardenedsteels. They provide manufacturing industries a cost-effective solution for high productivity andimproved workpiece tolerance.

A B

C D


Finer Points · Cubic Boron Nitride (cBN) Composite Coating, TuffTek® for Carbide and Ceramic...

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