Origins of the Ductile Regime in Single‐Point Diamond Turning of Semiconductors

A germanium surface and the chips produced from a single‐point diamond turning process operated in the “ductile regime” have been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and parallel electron‐energy‐loss spectroscopy. Lack of fracture damage on the finished surface and continuous chip formation are indicative of a ductile removal process. Periodic thickness variations perpendicular to the machining direction also are observed on these chips and are identified as ductile shear lamellae. The chips consist of an amorphous, elemental germanium matrix containing varying amounts of microcrystalline germanium fragments. The relative orientation of machining marks and crystallographic fragment texture are used to position individual chips with respect to the initial angular cutting zone on the wafer. Chips with high fragment content correlate directly to cutting zones subject to the highest resolved tensile stress on cleavage planes. These findings are explained in the context of a high‐pressure metallization (brittle‐to‐ductile) transformation with ductility limited by the onset of classical brittle fracture.