Fabrication of new composite abrasive for jet machining and application to scrap wafer regeneration

This study develops a novel composite abrasive with better micro-machining properties for achieving improved surface roughness on hard brittle materials. The proposed composite abrasive is made of a thermoplastic polymer with polystyrene as the base material and has its surface thermally coated with SiC particles for abrasive jet machining (AJM). The optimal parameters for obtaining an even coating of abrasives on the polymer surface include coating temperature of 200°C and SiC particle size of #3000. Application of the new composite abrasive to AJM achieves enhancement in surface roughness. Being elastic and spherical, the composite abrasive can function as a buffer preventing direct impact on the workpiece, resulting in smaller, fewer, and shallower cracks. When applied to regeneration of scrap silicon wafers, the developed composite abrasive contributes to both improvement in surface roughness and shortening of the post-processing time required.