A High-Efficiency Environmentally Friendly Polishing Slurry for K9 Glass Utilizing Cerium-Based Compounds

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• K9 glass is crucial for high-precision optics but challenging to polish due to its hardness and brittleness.
• Existing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) methods struggle to meet stringent surface finish and subsurface damage requirements for K9 glass.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, high-performance, and environmentally friendly CMP slurry for K9 glass.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of cerium oxide, aluminum oxide, guanidine carbonate, and a surfactant on K9 glass polishing.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of a novel polishing slurry with cerium oxide (CeO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), guanidine carbonate (GC), and sodium laureth-6 carboxylate (SL-6C).
• Optimization of slurry composition (1 wt% CeO2, 0.05 wt% Al2O3, 0.2 wt% GC, 0.2 wt% SL-6C).
• Evaluation of polishing performance through material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness measurements.

Main Results:

• The optimized slurry achieved a K9 glass surface roughness as low as 0.11 nm.
• The material removal rate (MRR) reached 521.71 nm/min, a seven-fold increase compared to CeO2-only slurries.
• Aluminum oxide enhanced mechanical friction, guanidine carbonate promoted hydration, and the surfactant improved dispersion and lubrication.

Conclusions:

• The synergistic interactions within the novel slurry formulation significantly enhance CMP efficiency and surface quality for K9 glass.
• This research provides valuable insights for developing advanced CMP slurries for demanding optical applications.
• The developed slurry offers a high-performance, eco-friendly solution for precision optical component fabrication.