Nanometric cutting of plasma modified polycrystalline tin

Soft and low-melting-point polycrystalline tin holds considerable promise in the field of advanced lithography. However, its machinability is significantly hindered by the grain size, posing substantial limitations on its practical utility. Herein, a novel approach involving oxidation-enhanced plasma modification is presented to obtain a grain coarsening layer, thereby enhancing machinability. The effects of cutting mode and feed rate are examined, revealing that plasma modification results in the formation of a millimeter-scale grain coarsening layer. Consequently, the tin surface with a surface roughness of 0.98 nm in Sa after cutting is effectively achieved, benefiting applications in ultra-short light wavelength sources.