HIGH-FIELD FORMING OF TUNGSTEN SURFACE BY EVAPORATION IN LIQUID NITROGEN

Abstract

The basic obstacle to the application of the method of low-temperature field evaporation is the necessity of the creation of superhigh electric fields on the surface of the processing object. There are problems connected with the destruction of objects under the action of mechanical stress, generated by an electric field. In this contribution was shown that the phenomenon of high-field evaporation of metals in liquid nitrogen could be used for controlled forming of metal products with the sizes in a nanometer range used in modern nanotechnology. The evolution of microtopography was investigated by methods of field ion and electron microscopy and conventional methods of scanning electron microscopy. This contribution shows that as distinct from low-temperature evaporation in a high vacuum evaporation is observed here in a wide range of electric field strengths 4…57 V/nm. In the proposed treatment process the mechanical stress of the electric field falls as low as 20 kg/mm2. This value is less than the macroscopic strength by an order of magnitude.