Polishing performance of magnetic nanocomposites based nanoabrasive

Abstract

The surface finish of the optical component is one of the important parameters that determine its quality. Fabrication of high accuracy and the ultra-finish surface is still a major challenge for optical and semiconductor fabrication industries. For commercial applications, the required surface roughness is of the order of a few hundred nanometers, whereas, for advanced applications, the required surface roughness should be of angstrom level. This study explores the polishing performance of functionalized iron oxide nanocomposites-based polishing abrasive for optical polishing. The functionalized magnetic nanoabrasive has been synthesized via a chemical route by employing cost-effective precursors. The particles size distribution curve of the prepared nanoabrasive has an average particle size of 10–35 nm with a small variation in particle size distribution. Spherical shape morphology and high surface area of the abrasive particles provide uniform cutting tools and homogeneous distribution on the surface of the polishing substrate, respectively. The potential application of the functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION) magnetic polishing abrasives has been explored for the super finish process. After polishing with the prepared nanoabrasive, the surface roughness (Ra) of the optical glass (BK7) reduced to sub-nanometer which confirms the superfine surface finish along with nanoscale materials removal rate.