High-Performance Micromachining of Glass using Electrochemical Discharge Machining (ECDM) for Mems Applications

本研究的目的是为玻璃、石英和某些陶瓷等电非导电脆性硬质材料创造一种新的、混合的、高性能的微加工工艺，并揭示这些材料微加工中的基本材料去除机理和微观现象。该方法包括实验观察、基于物理的建模和模拟由于热侵蚀、化学溶解或蚀刻、机械切割和超声波工具振动而引起的材料去除过程。基于这些材料去除机制的贡献的综合，将为这一新的微加工工艺编写一个材料去除模型。然后，该模型将被用于设计和优化微加工样品脆性硬材料的稳健工艺。如果成功，该项目将扩大由非导电脆性硬质材料制成的微型部件在微流体系统和微电子机械系统等新兴领域的潜在应用。这一新的混合工艺将允许在许多难以加工的材料上经济高效地加工复杂的微特征。实现这些新的微加工能力的好处包括为生物医学应用、微电子学和科学研究调查创造新的更好的设备。本研究将拓展先进的传热学和微观多相流模拟技术在工程中的应用，进一步了解电化学放电现象。

The objective of this research is to create a novel, hybrid, and high performance micromachining process for electrically non-conductive brittle hard materials such as glass, quartz and certain ceramics, and to reveal the fundamental material removal mechanisms and microscopic phenomena in micromachining of these materials. The approach includes experimental observations, physics-based modeling and simulation of the material removal processes due to thermal erosion, chemical dissolution or etching, mechanical cutting, and ultrasonic tool vibration. A material removal model based on synthesizing the contributions from each of these material removal mechanisms will be written for this proposed novel micromachining process. This model will then be utilized to design and optimize a robust process for micromachining sample brittle hard materials. If successful, this project would widen the potential applications of micro components made of non-conductive brittle hard materials in emerging fields such as micro-fluidic systems and micro-electromechanical systems. This novel hybrid process will allow the cost effective machining of complex micro-features on many difficult-to-machine materials. The benefits of achieving these new micromachining capabilities include the creation of new and better devices for biomedical applications, microelectronics, and scientific research investigation. This research will extend the engineering application of advanced heat transfer and micro multiphase flow modeling techniques to further understand electrochemical discharge phenomenon.