Influences of tool tip geometry on surface/subsurface damage formation in nanoscratching of single-crystal 4H-SiC

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Creating a smooth surface finish with nanometer-scale roughness on SiC is extremely difficult due to its hard, brittle properties and crystal anisotropy. In this study, nanoscratching tests were performed on single-crystal 4H-SiC along various crystal directions by using a sharp Berkovich tip (radius ~150 nm) and a blunt spherical tip (radius ~1 μm), respectively, to reveal the effects of tool geometry on its surface integrity. Results indicate that, under the same load conditions, the Berkovich face-forward tip produced the greatest penetration depth, followed by the Berkovich edge-forward tip and the spherical tip. The extent of surface and subsurface damage caused by the three tips follows the same trend as the penetration depth. Phase transformation did not occur in the scratched surface with the three tips, while it was occurred in the chips generated with Berkovich face-forward tip. The critical load for surface crack formation was larger when scratching along <01−10> directions compared to scratching along <11−20> directions, independent of tool geometry. Microcrack-like defects may form in the subsurface even the surface is free of damage. The microcracks were caused by {01−11} pyramidal <a> and <a+c> slip and by {11−22} pyramidal <c+a> slip when scratching along <11−20> and <01−10> directions, respectively.