title: Float-polishing process and analysis of float-polished quartz.
abstract: A fluid-mechanical model is developed for the float-polishing process. In this model laminar flow between the sample and the lap results in pressure gradients at the grooves that support the sample on a fluid layer. The laminar fluid motion also produces supersmooth, damage-free surfaces. Quartz substrates for applications in high-stress environments were float polished, and their surfaces were analyzed by optical scatterometry, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The removal of 100 µm of material by a lapping-polishing process, with final float polishing, left low levels of subsurface damage, with a surface roughness of approximately 0.2-nm rms.
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Baselt
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Jungling
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Stowell