Investigation of tool geometry in nanometric cutting by molecular dynamics simulation

With the development of science and technology, the ultraprecision machining of the brittle and hard materials with superior quality has become a new attractive subject. Brittle materials, such as engineering ceramics, optical glass, semiconductor, etc. are widely used in electronics, optics, aeronautics and other high technology fields, so there is important theoretical significance and practical value to systematically studying its machining mechanism and technology. Single crystal silicon is one of the typical brittle materials. The single crystal silicon wafer is a basic component of large and ultralarge integrated circuits, its surface roughness and flatness being the key factors in improving its integration. With the successful production of the large diameter single crystal silicon wafer, its manufacturing technology become an attractive subject again. This paper carries out computer simulation of nanometer cutting on single crystal silicon with different tool angles and tool edge radii. The molecular dynamics method, which is different from continuous mechanics is employed to investigate the features of machining energy dissipation, cutting force and stress state, and constructs an atomic model of the tool and the work piece, and explains the microscale mechanism of material remove and surface generation of nanometer (subnanometer) manufacturing. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.