Abstract
This paper describes the mechanism of brittle-ductile transition of monocrystal silicon at a high temperature and its feasibility for ductile mode cutting. The micro-cutting tests were carried out at various temperatures, and for various cutting speeds and depth of cut by using a newly developed cutting device. The critical depth of cut is closely related to the material temperature and cutting speed. When the material temperature is 973K at a cutting speed of 1mm/s, the critical depth of cut is about two times that at room temperature. The critical depth of cut decreases with increasing in cutting speed. The specific cutting force is nearly constant at various temperatures. The residual stress on the ductile-mode cutting surface is compressive about 200MPa.
