Enhancement of the machinability of silicon by hydrogen ion implantation for ultra-precision micro-cutting

•Hydrogen ion implantation is employed to modify the silicon wafer.•Ion-implanted silicon improves machinability.•Ductile cutting characteristics are present in ion-implanted silicon wafer.

This paper presents the implementation method of surface modification by hydrogen ion implantation in silicon on the enhancement of machinability of silicon by facilitating the brittle-to-ductile transition. The distribution of the implanted hydrogen ions and induced displacements in the sub-surface of silicon wafer is visualised through modelling. The micro-cutting experiments are conducted on ultra-precision raster milling to verify the enhancement effect on the machinability of silicon.