Abrasive jet micromachining : the effect of particle size and shape, and the machining of three dimensional suspended components

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Jets of small abrasive particles propelled by compressed gases have been used for many years to modify engineering surfaces. One of the most interesting and important applications of abrasive jet technology is as a low cost and rapid micromachining technology for the fabrication of components used in microfluidics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and opto electronics applications. Besides its low cost, the technology is attractive because it does not involve the use of harmful chemicals, and it allows for one pass fabrication of micro-features at different depths, something that is difficult with traditional wet etching techniques. The proposed research focuses on the investigation of two poorly understood aspects of abrasive jet micromachining (AJM): (i) The role that particle material, size and shape and target curvature have on machining precision and (ii) the development of models and techniques to use abrasive jets to machine three dimensional (3D) features.