Ii-vi Delaware, Inc.

Daniel Mastrobattisto

Edward Gratrix

Michael K Aghajanian

Austin Scott McDannald

William Vance

Prashant Karandikar

Diamond-containing articles such as composite materials shaped as some specific article, can be engineered such that bodies that contact the article only contact diamond. In an embodiment, the article may be in the form of equipment for handling semiconductor wafers such as vacuum or electrostatic chucks. In one embodiment, the diamond-containing article can be a composite of diamond particulate reinforcing a Si/SiC body such as reaction-bonded SiC. Lapping the diamond-reinforced RBSC body with progressively finer diamond grit removes some of the SiC/Si matrix material, leaving diamond particles of uniform height 'standing proud' above the rest of the surface of the formed article. Further, if the diamond-containing article is sufficiently electrically conductive, it may be machinable using electrical discharge machining.

Articles having diamond-only contact surfaces

An article includes a ceramic material and features a machined surface that is characteristic of cold ablation laser machining, and the machined surface exhibits no visible oxidation. A laser machining apparatus and technique is based on cold-ablation, but is modified or augmented with an inert assist gas to minimize deleterious surface modifications and mitigate oxide formation associated with laser machining.

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Milford, CT, United States of America

Daniel Mastrobattisto