Research Initiation Award: Reaction, Transport, and Geometry in Electrochemical Micromachining: A Moving- Boundary Analysis Via the Finite Element Method

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Electrochemical micromachining (EMM) is becoming increasingly important in the processing of high-precision metallic parts and in device fabrication in the microelectronics industry. However, the complicated interactions of transport phenomena, electric current distribution, and tool and work piece geometry have made engineering advances difficult. Usually, the choice of operating parameters is made empirically, based primarily on trial and error experimental approaches. A fundamental theoretical study of the electrochemical micomatchining process is proposed. The analysis will employ the finite element method to simultaneously calculate mass transport, fluid flow, potential, and geometrical changes as a self-consistent, mathematical moving boundary problem. Past modeling approaches of similar electrochemical systems have generally considered only those cases where fluid flow is unimportant or have ignored the interaction of changing geometry on mass transport in the system. The potential impact of this work is great. A prior calculations can be used as a cost-effective test bed to asses process changes and to determine optimal process parameters, such as current density, electrolyte flow rate, and tool shape. This work will advance the fundamental understanding of EMM and will enable rapid advances of micromachining techniques for many applications.