Polishing superhard material surfaces with gas-cluster ion beams

We have studied the influence of bombardment with accelerated gas-cluster ions on the surface topography of silicon carbide and diamond. Atomic-force microscopy shows that exposure to 10-keV gas-cluster ions at a total dose above 10¹⁶ cm^–2 leads to smoothing of the surface relief. The ion-etching rate and efficiency of the surface relief smoothing as dependent on the thickness of removed layer have been estimated. Raman-spectroscopy data show that surface irradiation with gas-cluster ions does not introduce defects into the crystalline structure of irradiated material.