Polishing Approaches at Atomic and Close-to-Atomic Scale.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Manufacturing Technology
• Surface Metrology

Background:

• Atomic-scale roughness is a critical parameter in advanced manufacturing.
• High-precision polishing processes are essential for achieving such fine surface finishes.
• Understanding various polishing techniques is vital for technological progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and detail polishing approaches for achieving atomic and near-atomic scale roughness.
• To analyze different polishing methods concerning their mechanisms, systems, and applications.
• To provide insights into future research directions for surface finishing technologies.

Main Methods:

• Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP)
• Plasma-Assisted Polishing
• Catalyst-Referred Etching (CRE)
• Bonnet Polishing
• Elastic Emission Machining (EEM)
• Ion Beam Figuring (IBF)
• Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF)
• Fluid Jet Polishing (FJP)

Main Results:

• Detailed discussion of removal mechanisms for each polishing approach.
• Analysis of polishing system configurations and their suitability for different applications.
• Overview of current industrial applications of atomic-scale polishing techniques.

Conclusions:

• Atomic-scale polishing is achievable through diverse, specialized techniques.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges and advance surface finishing technologies.
• Optimized polishing strategies are key to enabling next-generation manufacturing.