Micromachining of gorilla glass

For the first time, this paper presents micromachining of gorilla glass, which is a new tough and transparent substrate, but has not been used in MEMS yet. We have demonstrated that microstructures made of Gorilla glass have several advantages for MEMS applications, including flexibility and high fracture toughness. Wet etching with hydrofluoric acid (HF) was found more effective because it prevents creation of sharp corners. The process was optimized with an additive of hydrochloric acid (HCl) to reduce surface roughness, and the etching rate is approximately 12 μm/min. The microcantilevers made of Gorilla glass is capable to bend 12.26 degrees without breaking, which is very different from the conventional brittle glass (including Pyrex or Borosilicate).