Extreme negative rake angle technique for single point diamond nano-cutting of silicon

Experiments were conducted to evaluate cuts made with the rake face of the tool and the clearance face. The technique involved cutting in the corresponding opposite directions, i.e., forward with the rake face and backward with the clearance face. Cutting of single crystal silicon with both the rake and the clearance face resulted in a smooth ductile cut, with no evidence of fracture. This cutting technique may prove useful for furthering our understanding of the ductile machining of brittle materials.