Electrochemical micromachining of titanium through a patterned oxide film

Electrochemical micromachining of titanium through a patterned oxide film ( oxyresist) has been achieved in a sulfuric acidmethanol-based electropolish ing electrolyte. The patterned oxide film was formed in an aqueous 0.5 M su lfuric acid solution by selective anodic oxidation of titanium through a ph otoresist mask. Electrochemical dissolution through the patterned oxide fil m yielded well-defined grooves comparable to those obtained by etching dire ctly through a photoresist mask. The described process eliminates the need for photoresists to be chemically stable in aggressive electropolishing ele ctrolytes. It increases significantly the flexibility of implementation of electrochemical micromachining of valve metals. (C) 1999 The Electrochemica l Society. S1099-0062(98)11-024-6 All rights reserved.