Atomic Understanding of the Plastic Deformation Mechanism of 4H-SiC Under Different Grain Depth-of-cut During Nano-Grinding

HX Wang and S Gao and XG Guo and YL Ding and RK Kang, JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, 52, 4865-4877 (2023).

DOI: 10.1007/s11664-023-10457-z

The 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) power device has the advantages of withstanding high voltages, low on-resistance, and good heat dissipation, but it is difficult to machine. To develop low-cost and efficient machining technology for 4H-SiC wafers, it is necessary to deeply explore the damage evolution mechanism of 4H-SiC removal by abrasive grains. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to systematically study the plastic deformation mechanism of monocrystalline 4H-SiC nano-grinding. The plastic deformation mechanism under different grain depth-of-cuts (GDOC) was revealed by analyzing the grinding force, temperature, dislocation, amorphous phase transformation, roughness, and subsurface damage depth. Our simulation results showed that the ploughing and interface adhesion directly affect the value and fluctuation of the grinding force and friction coefficient, and that the temperature trend is consistent with that of the tangential force. Amorphous phase transformation in 4H-SiC occurs first, followed by dislocation nucleation and propagation, which together cause plastic deformation and directly affect the integrity of the grinding surface. GRAPHICS .

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