Table Of ContentSubstrate Surface
Preparation Handbook
For a complete listing of titles in the
Artech House Applied Photonics Series,
turn to the back of this book.
Substrate Surface
Preparation Handbook
Max Robertson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the U.S. Library of Congress.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover design by Vicki Kane
ISBN 13: 978-1-60807-213-2
© 2012 ARTECH HOUSE
685 Canton Street
Norwood, MA 02062
The following figures are from photographs published with kind permission of Log-
itech Ltd, Old Kilpatrick, Glasgow: 1.1, 1.2, 2.4, 2.7–2.9, 3.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4,
4.5, 4.7–4.10, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 9.1, 11.1, 11.2.
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Foreword 11
Preface 13
1 Introduction 15
1.1 Choosing a Process 15
1.2 Definitions of Processes Used in This Book 17
1.3 Lapping, Grinding, and Polishing Abrasives 19
2 Preparation: Before the Start 21
2.1 Plates and Measurement 21
2.1.1 Plate Measurement 22
2.1.2 Maintaining Plate Shape 23
2.2 Lapping Plates 23
2.2.1 Glazing 25
5
6 Substrate Surface Preparation Handbook Contents 7
2.3 Polishing Plates 26
2.4 Polishing Surfaces: Care and Conditioning 27
2.5 Baseplates for Polishing 29
2.5.1 Baseplate Materials 29
2.6 The Use of Smoothing Blocks 30
2.7 Jigs 33
2.7.1 When to Use a Jig 33
2.7.2 Jig Balance 34
2.7.3 Jig Maintenance 34
2.8 Sample Mounting 36
2.8.1 Vacuum Mounting 36
2.8.2 Wax Mounting 37
2.8.3 Automated Bonding 39
2.8.4 Evaporated Wax Films 40
2.8.5 Surface Tension Mounting 41
2.8.6 Epoxy Bonding 42
2.9 Sample Viewing and Assessment 42
2.10 Plate and Sample Flatness Control 44
2.10.1 Wafer Distortion 45
2.11 Conclusion 46
References 47
3 Lapping 49
3.1 The Lapping Process 49
3.1.1 If the Stock Removal Is Too Slow 50
3.1.2 If the Stock Removal Is Too Fast 50
3.2 Plate Shape Monitoring 51
3.3 Scratching 52
6 Substrate Surface Preparation Handbook Contents 7
3.4 Smoothing 54
References 56
4 Polishing 57
4.1 Introduction 57
4.2 Sample Load 59
4.3 Abrasives 61
4.4 Edge Polishing 62
4.5 Slurry Flow Rate 62
4.6 Grit Sizes 62
4.7 Aligning the Sample 62
4.8 The Polishing Run 66
4.8.1 Before the Start 66
4.8.2 Monitoring Progress 66
4.9 Jig Rotation 67
4.10 Sample Surface Shape and In-Process
Alignment 67
4.11 Chemical Polishing 69
4.12 Chemomechanical Polishing 73
4.13 Fluid Jet Polishing: Future Developments 75
References 75
5 Specific Processes and Materials 77
5.1 Geology 77
5.2 Hard Materials 81
8 Substrate Surface Preparation Handbook Contents 9
5.2.1 Lapping Hard Materials 82
5.2.2 Polishing Hard Materials 83
5.3 Water-Soluble Materials 86
5.4 Electro-Optic Materials 88
5.4.1 Infrared and Electro-Optic Materials 88
5.4.2 Processing Infared and Electro-Optic Materials 90
References 91
6 Specialized Techniques 93
6.1 Diamond Machining: Introduction 93
6.1.1 Diamond Machining of Ductile Materials 94
6.1.2 Diamond Machining of Brittle Materials 95
6.2 Sawing 96
6.2.1 Wire Saws 97
6.2.2 High-Speed Saws 98
6.2.3 Annular Saws 100
References 102
7 Surface Finish 103
7.1 The Lapped Surface Finish 103
7.2 Subsurface Damage 104
7.3 Understanding Surface Finish 105
7.3.1 Cutoff 106
7.3.2 Stylus Radius 106
Reference 110
8 Optics 111
8.1 Glass 112
8.2 Processing with Pitch 113
8 Substrate Surface Preparation Handbook Contents 9
8.3 Pitch Alternatives 117
8.4 Spherical Surfaces 118
8.5 Blocking Spherical Components 119
8.6 Specifying Diamond Tooling 121
8.7 Testing of Optical Components 122
References 123
9 Semiconductor Device Deconstruction 125
References 132
10 Metallurgical Polishing and Microscopy 133
10.1 Processing 133
10.1.1 Process Stages 134
10.2 Examination 134
10.3 Microscope Setup 135
References 136
11 Laboratory Setup 137
11.1 Equipment Locations 137
11.2 Laboratory Layout and Dimensions 138
11.3 Optimizing the Process Route 141
11.4 Sample Cleaning 142
11.5 Safety Regulations 144
11.6 Lab Environment 145
11.7 Consumables 145
References 146
