I wanted to cleave MgO (100) and LaAlO3 (100) substrates of thickness 0.5 mm and one side polished. The substrates are 10 mm x 10 mm squares. I wanted to cleave them into two equal halves using ordinary diamond scribe, but I could barely scratch them with that. Is it really possible to cleave the oxide substrates using ordinary diamond scribe which is often used to cleave Si wafers? Can any one suggest any other handy methods of cleaving such (oxide) substrates?
Thanks, @Chandan Das,
However, I have earlier tried the method prescribed in the 2nd link "MgO_substrates_cleaving.pdf " that you have provided. But I could not succeed. I tuned up damaging my substrates into several arbitrary pieces.
As they wrote: However, obtaining a perfectly cleaved (100) block is not easy without first some practice and certainly it is not easy doing the cleaving without generating at least some "chips".
It means, you need experince, the same which someone would tell you in case of cutting glass. Unfiortunately, glass is much less valuable so that you can practicise it again and again. The same happens with semiconductor compounds (not silicon which does not have any cleavage plane). In contrast, MgO has. For GaAs etc we used the same procedure. Taking a scalpel and pressing gently perpendicular to an edge parallel to one other edge. After some attemps you get experience how much you have to press like with a chopping knife. It does not work always if you misalign the knife. We never used a hammer, since also our substrates were never thicker than 500µm.
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