A New Slurry for Photocatalysis-Assisted Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Monocrystal Diamond

Abstract

Diamond needs to have a perfectly smooth surface due to the growing requirements in the fields of electronic semiconductors, optical windows and high-fidelity loudspeakers. However, the polishing of diamonds is highly challenging due to their exceptional hardness and chemical stability. In this study, a new polishing slurry is prepared for the proposed photocatalysis-assisted chemical mechanical polishing (PCMP) approach to obtain an ultra-smooth surface for large-area diamond. The analyses and experimental findings revealed the significance of the photocatalyst, abrasive, electron capture agent and pH regulator as essential components of the PCMP slurry. TiO2 with a 5 nm pore size and P25 TiO2 possess improved photocatalysis efficiency. Moreover, diamond removal is smooth under the acidic environment of H3PO4 due to the high oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) of the slurry, and, during the methyl orange test, P25 TiO2 exhibits reasonable photocatalytic effects. Moreover, in 8 h, a smooth surface free of mechanical scratches can be obtained by reducing the surface roughness from Ra 33.6 nm to Ra 2.6 nm.