Nanofinishing and surface integrity enhancement of inertial sensor microstructures using medium pressure plasma process

Abstract

Surface integrity influences several functional parameters such as friction, wear and tear, ability of distributing and holding lubricant, thin film coating etc. It is not uncommon that aerospace inertial sensor technology demands ‘zero’ surface and subsurface defects up to atomic level, on sensing element microstructures. These microstructures are mostly nonmetallic brittle materials such as glass, fused silica, silica etc. and are machined and polished such that the surface integrity is maintained. Non-contact type unconventional nanofinishing techniques are being developed to augment or replace chemo-mechanical polishing (CMP) techniques for finishing such microstructures.