Title: Micro-grinding electronic and optical materials using diamond-coated piezoelectric materials

Authors: Mark J. Jackson

Addresses: MET, College of Technology and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, 401 North Grant Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907–2021, USA

Abstract: Micro-scale fabrication requires that substrates that are made from electronic and optical materials are truly flat so that |bottom-up| nanofabrication techniques such as lithographically induced self-assembly, nanoimprint lithography and soft lithography can be performed. The coating of a piezoelectric material with sub-micron size diamond particles has enabled the author to produce truly flat substrates and machine micro-features into electronic and optical materials using a new manufacturing process known as |piezoelectric micro-grinding|. The paper describes the principle of the process of micro-grinding using coated piezoelectric materials. It also correlates the wear of diamonds with stresses induced into the diamonds when an electric current is applied to the piezoelectric material coated with diamonds in order to remove very small amounts of workpiece material.

Keywords: micromachining; electronic materials; optical materials; microelectromechanical systems; MEMS; piezoelectric microgrinding; diamond coatings; piezoelectric materials; nanofabrication; diamond wear; diamond stress.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2006.009982

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2006 Vol.9 No.1/2, pp.1 - 17

Published online: 06 Jun 2006 *

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