Abstract

Chemical vapor deposited silicon carbide (CVD SiC) is an excellent material for use in first mirrors for synchrotron radiation beam lines. We have developed methods to grind and polish flat samples of CVD SiC down to measured surface roughness values of 1 Å RMS. This paper describes the removal rate of CVD SiC during free abrasive grinding and during polishing. The removal rate during grinding with boron carbide was found to be about 29 times slower than that of fused silica and about 58 times slower than that of BK-7 glass. The surface roughness was also measured after each grinding step in order to estimate the amount of material to be removed in subsequent operations. The measured ground surface roughness of CVD SiC was about 4 to 5 times finer than that of BK-7 and Fused Silica, respectively. At the time of the presentation, additional data on polishing rate, as well as subsurface damaged depth, will be provided.

© 1987 Optical Society of America