Fumio Ashihara

Creep rupture strength and grain-boundary sliding in austenitic 21 Cr-4Ni-9Mn steels with serrated grain boundaries

The effect of grain-boundary strengthening on the creep-rupture strength by modification of the grain-boundary configuration is studied using austenitic 21 Cr-4Ni-9Mn steel in the temperature range from 600 to 1000° C in air. Grain-boundary sliding is also examined on a steel with serrated grain boundaries during creep at 700° C. The improvement of creep-rupture strength by the strengthening of grain boundaries is observed at high temperatures above 600° C. The 1000 h rupture strength of steels with serrated grain boundaries is considerably higher than that of steels with straight grain boundaries, especially at 700 and 800° C. The strengthening by serrated grain boundaries is effective in retarding both the crack initiation and the crack propagation at 700° C, while it does not improve the life to crack initiation at 900° C. Grain-boundary sliding is considerably inhibited by the strengthening of grain boundaries at 700° C. The amount of it in steels with serrated grain boundaries is less than about one-third of that of steels with straight grain boundaries at the same creep strain. The stress dependence of grain-boundary sliding rate in the steady-state regime is also examined from the steels with these two types of grain-boundary configuration.

Effects of serrated grain boundaries on the crack growth in austenitic heat-resisting steels during high-temperature creep

The effect of serrated grain boundaries on creep crack growth is investigated using an austenitic 21Cr-4Ni-9Mn steel principally at 700° C. The relationship between the microstructure of specimens and the crack growth behaviour is discussed. The creep crack growth rate in the specimens with a surface notch is relatively reduced by serrated grain boundaries especially in the early stage of crack growth. The life of crack propagation in the specimens with serrated grain boundaries is longer compared with that of the specimens with straight grain boundaries. It is confirmed in the surface crack growth of smooth round bar specimens crept at 700° C that serrated grain boundaries are effective in retarding the growth of a grain-boundary crack less than about 4×10−4 m long, and that this effect decreases with increasing crack length. It is suggested that crack deflection due to serrated grain boundaries caused a decrease in the stress intensity factor of the grain-boundary crack and resulted in a decrease of the crack growth rate in the steel. The crack arrest at the deflection points and the circumvention of crack path on the serrated grain-boundaries may also contribute to the retardation of the grain-boundary crack growth during creep. Further, it is deduced from the experimental results on the notched specimens that the creep fracture is caused by the linkage of the main crack to many microcracks and voids on the grain-boundary at 900°C.

DIAMOND AND METAL BONDING BY ACTIVE SOLDER FOR MICRO – CUTTING WIRE

A new method of bonding diamond to metal with active solder has been developed. This method was then used for making micro-cutting wire saws capable of cutting composite materials with high hardness. This cutting process is an environmentally friendly process, as diamond grains loss and hence pollution is minimum. The active solder contained titanium hydride (TiH2). Titanium hydride dissociates to atomic Ti and H at high temperatures improving wetting between the solder metal and diamond grains and hence high bonding strength can be obtained. An example of using the new wire for cutting a typical IC chip is given. We believe this environmentally friendly micro-cutting process will be widely used in the future.

Improvement of creep-rupture properties of wrought cobalt-based HS-21 alloys at high temperatures

The improvement of creep-rupture properties by serrated grain boundaries is investigated using wrought cobalt-based HS-21 alloys in the temperature range 816 to 1038° C (1500 to 1900°F). Serrated grain-boundaries are produced in the early stage of the grain-boundary reaction (GBR) by a heat treatment. Specimens with serrated grain boundaries have superior creep-rupture properties compared with those with normal straight grain boundaries. The rupture lives of specimens with serrated grain boundaries are more than twice as long as those of specimens with straight grain boundaries. The rupture elongation is considerably improved by serrated grain boundaries especially at lower temperatures. A ductile grain-boundary fracture is observed in specimens with serrated grain boundaries, while brittle grain boundary facets prevail in specimens with straight grain boundaries.

Influence of the Surface Topography on the Micromechanical Properties and Performance of a CMP Finished AlN Component for Silicon Plasma Etching

A microtibological study of the effect of the CMP machining surface damages (SD) on the micromechanical properties of AlN electro-static chuck (ESC) for silicon plasma etching is presented. AFM and SEM examinations of the AlN ESC, which were CMP finished to a surface roughness, Ra = 20 nm, have revealed machining geometry errors and chemical mechanical SD caused by the CMP slurry. The elastic modulus (E) and hardness (H) of AlN and those of yttrium (Y) particles were discretely clarified using localized nanoindentation technique. The results showed that the CMP machining SD fatally affected the AlN/Y boundary strength and resulted to errors in the first contact points between the indenter and the sample. In addition to SD, the micro scale viscoelasticity phenomena of AlN in indentation caused peculiarities at peak loads in the load vs. depth plots. Under these circumstances, the values of E and H measured using Oliver and Pharrs method are in fact underestimated; E = 400 GPa and H = 20 GPa for AlN particles, 300 GPa and 17 GPa for Y particles and 500 GPa and 16 GPa for AlN/Y interface, respectively.

Creep-rupture properties and grain-boundary sliding in wrought cobalt-base HS-21 alloys at high temperatures

The effects of serrated grain boundaries on the creep-rupture properties of wrought cobaltbase HS-21 alloys were investigated at 1311 and 1422 K. The amount of grain-boundary sliding and the initiation and growth of grain-boundary cracks were also examined during creep at 1311 K. Specimens with serrated grain boundaries exhibited longer rupture life and larger rupture ductility than those with straight grain boundaries, but these specimens had almost the same rupture life and rupture ductility under lower stresses at 1422 K, because serrated grain boundaries were also formed in specimens with originally straight grain boundaries. The average amount of grain-boundary sliding during creep at 1311 K increased with time (or with creep strain), but was almost the same in both specimens with serrated grain boundaries and those with straight grain boundaries at the same creep strain. Grain-boundary cracks or voids initiated in the early stage of creep in those specimens at 1311 K. Therefore, the strengthening by serrated grain boundaries at high temperatures above about 1311 K was attributed to the retardation of growth and linkage of grain-boundary cracks and voids.

Improvement of Fatigue Crack Growth Resistance by Serrated Grain Boundary at High Temperature

Effects of serrated grain boundaries on the improvement of fatigue-crack growth resistance were investigated using austenitic 21Cr-4Ni-9Mn heat-resisting steel at 973 K in air. Grain boundaries were serrated by grain-boundary reaction precipitates

Creep crack growth in an austenitic Cr-Ni-Mn steel

Effects of grain-boundary sliding and strenthening by serrated grain boundaries on creep-crack growth are investigated using an austenitic 21Cr-4Ni-9Mn steel at 973 K in air. In surface notched specimens, crack growth rate is lower in specimens with serrated grain boundaries than in those with normal straight grain boundaries at the same stress intensity factor (K1 ), but the difference in crack growth rate between these specimens decreases with crack growth. In smooth bar specimens, growth rate of the largest surface crack is correlated with the average amount of grain-boundary sliding, although a unique relationship is not found between them. Grain-boundary sliding controls the crack growth when the crack size is small, but total creep deformation becomes important and crack linkage occurs with increasing crack length, thus reducing the strengthening effects of serrated grain boundaries.

Influence of Surface Properties on Microscratch Durability of Aluminum Nitride Semiconductor Processing Component

The effect of the surface properties on the microtribological characteristics of AlN-based electrostatic chuck (EC) for silicon plasma etching was investigated using automatic microscratch testing technique in combination with SEM examination of the scratch track. The scratch testing was performed by applying a progressive indenter load. The scratch failure model varied systematically with the surface properties of AlN. The data of the onset of brittle fracture were used as characteristic features of the AlN failure. It was found that the critical load, Lc, the smallest applied normal load leading to unacceptable damage such as chipping and cracking, increases with decreasing the average grain size, density and fracture toughness of AlN and decreases with increasing the surface roughness and area density of pre-existing polishing damages. The resistance to cohesion and adhesion failure of AlN with 0.1 µm Al2O3 oxide layer on top was stronger than that of the AlN bulk material. The fracture initiation and ductile to brittle transition in AlNAl2O3( 0.1µm) was in form of discontinuous chipping. The results infer the potential of the combination of the scratch data with the material properties for the understanding of the effect of the surface topography on the mechanical properties and chucking performance of AlN-based EC.

Micromechanisms of Grain-Boundary Strengthening in Austenitic Cr-Ni-Mn Heat-Resisting Steels during Creep

ABSTRACT The effect of grain–boundary strengthening on the creep rupture strength is investigated using an austenitic 21Cr–4Ni–9Mn steel in the temperature range from 600°C to 1000°C in air. The improvement of creep rupture strength was observed at temperatures above 600°C. The grain–boundary sliding was considerably reduced by serrated grain boundaries during creep at 700°C. The strengthening mechanisms of serrated grain boundaries were also discussed based on the experimental results.