Study on nano-machining of hard and brittle material with focused ion beam

Fine and precise machining are required in various industrial sectors. The tool with high durability and reliability for such machine process is almost made of hard and brittle materials, and it is generally unmachinable. The focused ion beam (FIB) machining is one of the most promising nano-machining technologies for machining of hard and brittle material. In this study, surface hardness and surface roughness of hard and brittle material after machining with FIB are discussed. Covariance structure modeling of the nano-machining process with FTB results in connections between machining conditions and irradiated material characteristics. The results show that the increasing beam diameter prevents the decrease of surface hardness and the increase of surface roughness after the machining with FIB.