Fine tuning the roughness of powder blasted surfaces

Abstract

Powder blasting (abrasive jet machining) has recently been introduced as a bulk-micromachining technique for brittle materials. The surface roughness that is created with this technique is much higher (with a value of R a between 1-2.5 m) compared to general micromachining techniques. In this paper we study the roughness of powder blasted glass surfaces, and show how it depends on the process parameters. The roughness can also be changed after blasting by HF etching or by using a high-temperature anneal step. Roughness measurements and scanning electron microscopy images show the quantitative and qualitative changes in roughness. These post-processes will allow us to investigate the influence of surface roughness on the microsystem performance in future research.