Reactive accelerated cluster erosion (RACE) of single crystal artificial diamond has been used to fabricate various nano-and microstructures. Carbondioxide clusters of about 1000 molecules are accelerated to 100 keV to act as the eroding agent. Using movable shadow masks, the accelerated cluster beam may erode staircase structures acting as an optical grating. A cycloid gear has been generated via a stationary nickel mask. Non-reactive accelerated cluster erosion using argon clusters will be considered for comparison.

The smoothness of cluster-eroded surfaces of natural and synthetic diamond (Monodite) is compared after erosion with high-speed CO 2 as well as Ar cluster beams. The reactive accelerated cluster erosion (RACE) of the single-crystal diamond substrates using CO 2 clusters leads to a fourfold larger root-mean-square roughness than the erosion with non-reactive Ar clusters. On the other hand, the erosion rate observed with the accelerated Ar clusters is lower by about the same factor than that observed with the accelerated CO 2 clusters. Molecular dynamics calculations reveal corresponding differences already in the simulations of single cluster impacts.

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