Titanium Blade with Jagged Micro-scale Structure Fabricated via Electrolytic Etching

抄録

This study fabricated and evaluated a Ti blade with a jagged microstructure. The blades were fabricated using photolithography and electrolytic etching. A strongly sharpened edge obtained via undercut etching was fabricated by patterning a thin Au film on the front side of a Ti plate prior to electrolytic etching. The increased undercut length was attributed to an increase in the electric field at the edge of the Au pattern. Consequently, A blade with a jagged microscale structure was fabricated using an optimized process to reduce the friction between each microscale edge and the material being cut. A larger edge indicate a reduction in cutting force. A reduction in the cutting forces parallel to the x- and z-axes was clearly observed for the blade fabricated via electrolytic etching compared with that fabricated using reactive ion etching. The methodology used to control the inclination angle of a microscale edge using an Au pattern is significant for fabricating Ti-based sensors and devices.