Micro-powder blasting simulation with mask erosion using cellular automaton

Development of two-dimensional and three- dimensional micro-powder blasting simulator for microfabrication of a glass with patterned polymer mask was reported. In order to investigate the effect of mask erosion on a processed glass profile, cellular automaton simulation in which erosion of the glass and the polymer mask were taken into account was applied to micro-powder blasting process for the first time. From the comparison of simulated result with the processed glass profile in the experiment, it was demonstrated that processed glass profile with the mask erosion can be successfully simulated using our simulator. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the processed profile in the glass depended on the mask profile, and the ratio of deformation wear and cutting wear of a mask.