Lucas A. Hof

Physical principles and miniaturization of spark assisted chemical engraving (SACE)

Keywords: SACE ; glass micro-machining ; microengineering ; robotics ; [SACE] ; Micro-factory Reference LSRO-CONF-2006-028View record in Web of Science Record created on 2006-06-06, modified on 2017-05-10

Spark assisted chemical engraving (SACE) in microfactory

Spark assisted chemical engraving (SACE) is a method for 3D microstructuring of glass or other non-conductive materials with high aspect ratio and smooth surface quality. It is applicable for rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices, for MEMS interfacing and similar applications. Typical feature size is in the hundreds of micrometres, down to a few tens of micrometres. It is a table-top technology requiring no clean rooms and no masks and with very modest space usage. It is thus well suited for microfactories. This paper gives a basic introduction to SACE and some machining examples.

Micro-Hole Drilling on Glass Substrates—A Review

Glass micromachining is currently becoming essential for the fabrication of micro-devices, including micro- optical-electro-mechanical-systems (MOEMS), miniaturized total analysis systems (μTAS) and microfluidic devices for biosensing. Moreover, glass is radio frequency (RF) transparent, making it an excellent material for sensor and energy transmission devices. Advancements are constantly being made in this field, yet machining smooth through-glass vias (TGVs) with high aspect ratio remains challenging due to poor glass machinability. As TGVs are required for several micro-devices, intensive research is being carried out on numerous glass micromachining technologies. This paper reviews established and emerging technologies for glass micro-hole drilling, describing their principles of operation and characteristics, and their advantages and disadvantages. These technologies are sorted into four machining categories: mechanical, thermal, chemical, and hybrid machining (which combines several machining methods). Achieved features by these methods are summarized in a table and presented in two graphs. We believe that this paper will be a valuable resource for researchers working in the field of glass micromachining as it provides a comprehensive review of the different glass micromachining technologies. It will be a useful guide for advancing these techniques and establishing new hybrid ones, especially since this is the first broad review in this field.

Glass Imprint Templates by Spark Assisted Chemical Engraving for Microfabrication by Hot Embossing

As the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) matures, new demands are being placed on the microfabrication of complex architectures in robust materials, such as hard plastics. Iterative design optimization in a timely manner—rapid prototyping—places challenges on template fabrication, for methods such as injection moulding and hot embossing. In this paper, we demonstrate the possibility of using spark assisted chemical engraving (SACE) to produce micro patterned glass templates. The direct, write-based approach enabled the facile fabrication of smooth microfeatures with variations in all three-dimensions, which could be replicated by hot embossing different thermoplastics. As a proof of principle, we demonstrated the technique for a high glass transition temperature polycarbonate. Good fidelity over more than 10 cycles provides evidence that the approach is viable for rapid prototyping and has the potential to satisfy commercial-grade production at medium-level output volumes. Glass imprint templates showed no degradation after use, but care must be taken due to brittleness. The technique has the potential to advance microfabrication needs in academia and could be used by MEMS product developers.