Silicon Watch Component Etching with Communicating Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of silicon watch components with complex structures, requiring heating oxidation treatment, leads to decreased efficiency due to the need for long processing times and separate manufacturing of front and back surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a silicon substrate with etching processes on both sides, using a dry film to prevent damage during etching and forming communicating grooves to manage air pressure, allowing for efficient machining of both surfaces simultaneously without the need for separate manufacturing and subsequent adhesion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If heating oxidation treatment is performed for two to four hours in a high temperature furnace to adhere the first element and second element together, then the adhesion strength is improved, but the manufacturing time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the heating oxidation treatment step from the manufacturing process. By using silicon wafers with silicon oxide layers that can be directly adhered without high-temperature heating, the time-consuming heating oxidation step (2-4 hours) is completely removed while maintaining adhesion strength through the inherent properties of the silicon oxide layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal field (heating oxidation treatment) with a direct adhesion mechanism. Instead of using high-temperature thermal energy to achieve adhesion, the invention uses the chemical properties of silicon oxide layers that enable direct bonding, substituting a thermal process with a chemical/physical adhesion process that requires no heating.
2Shape
If the first surface side and second surface side are manufactured separately and then adhered together, then complex structures with different front and back shapes can be achieved, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the manufacturing of the first surface side and second surface side into a single integrated process. By forming both recessed portions in one silicon wafer through sequential etching steps rather than manufacturing separate elements and adhering them, the invention simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining the capability to create complex structures with different front and back shapes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the etching process into two separate steps (first etching for the first recessed portion, second etching for the second recessed portion) performed on the same wafer. This segmentation allows precise control over the geometry of each surface while maintaining process integration, avoiding the need for separate element manufacturing and adhesion.
3Reliability
If a dry film is affixed to the first surface side before the second etching step, then the first surface portion is protected from damage, but the air pressure inside the first recessed portion increases during the second etching step
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the dry film after the second etching step is completed. By affixing the dry film only during the critical second etching step and then removing it afterward, the invention provides protection during the process while eliminating the source of pressure buildup in the final product, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and pressure management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs the dry film affixing as a preliminary protective measure specifically for the second etching step. The dry film is applied before the second etching, provides protection during that specific operation, and is then removed. This preliminary action approach allows protection during the critical step without leaving the dry film in place to cause pressure issues in the final component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances manufacturing efficiency by preventing damage to the dry film and maintaining high machining accuracy, eliminating the risk of adhering portion peeling and improving component strength, while enabling the creation of complex structures with differing front and back shapes.
Implementation Method 1
a first etching step for performing etching at the first surface portion side formed with the first resist pattern, a second resist pattern forming step for forming a second resist pattern surface portion of the silicon substrate on an opposite side from the first surface portion, and a second etching step performing etching at the second surface portion side formed with the second resist pattern
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a watch component made of silicon and including a front surface, a back surface, and a side surface intersecting with the front surface and the back surface, the watch component including a first recessed portion formed at the front surface side, a second recessed portion formed at the back surface side, and a communicating groove causing one of the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion to communicate with the side surface.