Abstract
This study investigated the feasibility of the micro powder blasting technique for the micro fabrication of sensor structures using the Pyrex glass to replace the existing silicon-based acceleration sensor fabrication processes. As the preliminary experiments, the effects of the blasting pressure, the mass flow rate of abrasive and the number of nozzle scanning times on erosion depth of the Pyrex and the soda lime glasses were examined. From the experimental results, optimal blasting conditions were selected for the Pyrex glass machining. The dimensions of the designed glass sensor was 1.7×1.7×0.6mm for the vibrating mass, and 2.9×0.7×0.2mm for the cantilever beam. The machining results showed that the dimensional errors of the machined glass sensor ranged from 3 μm in minimum to 20 μm in maximum. These results imply that the micro powder blasting method can be applied for the micromachining of glass-based acceleration sensors to replace the exiting method.
Highlights
Many researches have been performed in the field of industrial MEMS (Micro Electromechanical System) technology, which is one of the leading edge technologies, to manufacture variousSensors 2007, 7 highly profitable micro parts based on the silicon micro machining technologies
Various types of silicon-based sensors have been developed due to its advantages; the reliability and the mass productivity are good since the existing semi-conductor fabrication facilities can be used, and smaller and lighter sensors can be fabricated. [2,3,4,5,6] the wet etching process and the deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) are introduced to fabricate the sensors with bigger vibrating mass and higher aspect ratio. [7,8] Current silicon-based acceleration sensors can be categorized into the capacitive type and the piezoresistive type
To investigate the machining characteristics of the glasses, a series of preliminary experiments were performed by varying the process parameters, such as the blasting pressure, the mass flow rate of the abrasive, and the number of scanning times, etc
Summary
Many researches have been performed in the field of industrial MEMS (Micro Electromechanical System) technology, which is one of the leading edge technologies, to manufacture various. Sensors 2007, 7 highly profitable micro parts based on the silicon micro machining technologies Such MEMS technologies are being widely applied for industrialization, such as high efficient sensors and control systems in the aerospace field, and micro switches and distributors in the optical and wireless communication fields, etc. The micro powder blasting process, one of the mechanical etching methods those can replace the existing chemical etching processes, was applied to fabricate the vibrating mass and the cantilever beam of the acceleration sensor with the Pyrex glass which has similar mechanical properties to silicon. As the results of this study, the possibility was verified to apply the powder blasting method for the fabrication of the acceleration sensor body with lower manufacturing cost and higher productivity compare to the current silicon-based sensor fabrication methods
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