METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LARGE-SCALE DIAMOND POLISHING

摘要

A method and apparatus for the polishing of diamond surfaces, wherein the diamond surface is subjected to plasma-enhanced chemical etching using an atomic oxygen polishing plasma source, are disclosed. In the apparatus, a magnetic filter passes a plume of high-density, low-energy, atomic oxygen plasma. The plasma is capable of uniformly polishing diamond surfaces. By generating high-density atomic oxygen plasma (502) with magnetic filtration, the atomic oxygen polishing plasma source (100) provides for a rapid reaction rate between the atomic oxygen plasma (502) and the diamond surface (500). Potential anisotropic effects in diamond polishing are further limited in the present invention by the selective generation of low energy atomic oxygen plasma (502). Restricting the plasma flow to low energy species limits the physical bombardment of the diamond surface (500) by atomic or molecular oxygen ions, a process that results in directional, and accordingly non-uniform, etching of the diamond surface.