摘要 |
A method for fabricating a precision fine-line die by chemical milling the working face of an etchable workpiece to form a plurality of raised die elements separated and bounded by a plurality of cavities, is comprised of the steps of forming an etchant-resistant surface pattern of boundary grooves penetrating slightly into the working face of the etchable workpiece outwardly proximate and substantially conforming to the configuration of die element precursors, and then selectively etching the workpiece in regions outwardly bounded by the boundary grooves to undercut same and form recessed cavities outwardly proximate and substantially conforming to the complementary configuration of the die element precursors. The step of forming the boundary grooves is preferably a two stage procedure comprised of first chemical milling shallow grooves in the workpiece in the desired pattern and then loading these grooves with an etchant-resistant fill. The region bounded outwardly by adjacent boundary grooves is etched to remove material therefrom, to expose the interface of the fill and to undercut the same, optionally interspersed with periodic steps to remove the fill extending beyond the undercut. The die element precursors are then chemically milled to yield a fine-line and space die.
|