Nanoscale Ductile Mode Ultraprecision Cutting of Potassium Di Hydrogen Phosphate

Abstract

Nanoscale Ductile Mode Cutting by using single point diamond turning is an alternative approach for finishing brittle materials which results in crack free surface without subsequent polishing. The developments in applicability of this technology on materials which are used in semiconductor field have led to use in different other fields such as nonlinear optics in which materials are soft and brittle. Potassium Di-hydrogen Phosphate (KDP) is one such type of unique inorganic material most widely used for frequency conversion processes which requires higher surface integrity (Ra < 5nm). The main objective of this research work is to apply this technology in finishing of this material without subsequent polishing operation achieving Ra < 5nm. It involved the overcoming of the challenges encountered before and during machining. The use of vacuum suction technique for extraction of chips is proposed in this work in dry cutting conditions.