Removal of Thin (20 Å) Layers of Metals, Metal Oxides, and Ceramics by Mechanical Polishing

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Abstract
The method of vibratory polishing has been applied to the reproducible removal of thin layers from metals, oxides, and ceramics. The rate of removal depends on the hardness of the material being polished, and for the materials tested, i.e., W, Ta, Si, Zr, Au, UO2, Ta2O5, and ZrO2, is in the range of a few atom layers (20 to 50 Å) per minute of polishing time. Experimental details are described and the results obtained are shown. Studies have been made of the surfaces of these materials by x‐ray diffraction, reflection e lectron diffraction, and electron microscopy to determine the effect of the polishing on crystal structure and surface topography. The results show that all the materials except gold have surfaces smooth to within 50 Å, that W and Ta single crystals have disturbed or deformed layers of less than 250 Å and that single‐crystal Si is not deformed at all.