Aspect ratios, sizes, and etch rates in photostructurable glass-ceramic

J. Stillman; J. Judy; H. Helvajian

doi:10.1117/12.761895

26 February 2008 Aspect ratios, sizes, and etch rates in photostructurable glass-ceramic

J. Stillman, J. Judy, H. Helvajian

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6882, Micromachining and Microfabrication Process Technology XIII; 68820J (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.761895
Event: MOEMS-MEMS 2008 Micro and Nanofabrication, 2008, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Photostructurable glass-ceramics (PSGCs), although not yet widely used, are well suited to many micro-optical and micromechanical applications. Their appeal stems from the combination of the physical properties of glass-ceramics with the excellent three-dimensional shaping control that can be achieved by laser-patterning a transparent photostructurable material. The PSGCs are both mechanically and thermally robust. Exposure with a focused 355-nm pulsed laser beam initiates a cascade of reactions that ends in crystallization of a different phase of the glass-ceramic. The crystal-rich phase etches chemically much faster than the original crystal-free phase. In this experiment, we examined the dependence of the chemical etch rate on the aspect ratios and sizes of structures made from Foturan, a commercially available PSGC. We fabricated several types of test structures in 1-mm-thick Foturan samples. We tested the initial and long-term etch behavior of Foturan etched in 5% HF as a function of the size of the etched structure. An aspect ratio of 100 for a 10-μm-wide trench etched through a 1000-μm-thick sample was achieved.

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J. Stillman, J. Judy, and H. Helvajian "Aspect ratios, sizes, and etch rates in photostructurable glass-ceramic", Proc. SPIE 6882, Micromachining and Microfabrication Process Technology XIII, 68820J (26 February 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.761895

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