Polishing of Quartz by Rapid Etching in Ammonium Bifluoride

The etch rate and surface roughness of polished and lapped AT-cut quartz subjected to hot (90, 110, and 130degC), concentrated (50, 65, 80 wt%) ammonium bifluoride have been investigated. Having used principal component analysis to verify experimental solidity and analyze data, we claim with confidence that this parameter space does not, as elsewhere stated, allow for a polishing effect or even a preserving setting. Etch rates were found to correlate well, and possibly logarithmically, with temperature except for the hottest etching applied to lapped material. Roughness as a function of temperature and concentration behaved well for the lapped material, but lacked systematic variation in the case of the polished material. At the lowest temperature, concentration had no effect on etch rate or roughness. Future efforts are targeted at temperatures and concentrations closer to the solubility limit.