Erosion behaviour and pattern transfer accuracy of protecting masks for micro-abrasive blasting

Micro-abrasive blasting is becoming an important technique to produce optical, electronic and precision mechanical equipment. The process is based on the erosion of a mask-protected brittle substrate by a high-velocity particle beam. This paper presents the results of erosion tests using three groups of mask materials: metals, elastomers and photo-resist. The results are compared in terms of erosion resistance and transfer accuracy of the pattern. It was found that each type of mask material has its own economical and technological relevance. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.