Jet-induced finishing of a substrate surface

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6719611
  • Patent Number
    6,719,611
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, December 20, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 13, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
Jet-induced finishing of a substrate surface includes means for covering the surface with an abrasive liquid slurry and means for impinging a jet of fluid, either a gas or a liquid, against the slurry to create a high-shear work zone on the substrate surface whereby portions of the substrate are lifted and removed to alter the shape of the surface towards a predetermined shape and/or smoothness. The surface may be covered as by cascading a flowing layer of slurry over it or by impinging slurry onto the work zone or by immersing the substrate in a pool of the slurry. A nozzle for dispensing the jet fluid is precisely located at a predetermined distance and angle from the surface to be finished. A coarse removal function is provided by disposing the nozzle tip at a first distance from the substrate surface, and a fine removal function is provided by disposing the nozzle closer to the substrate surface. The invention is generally useful for finishing optical elements, and especially for inexpensive forming of microlenses.
Description




DESCRIPTION




The present invention relates to method and apparatus for shaping rigid objects by grinding or polishing; more particularly, to method and apparatus for finishing by impingement of a fluid jet onto a rigid object, such as a glass or ceramic lens or a metal object; and most particularly, to method and apparatus for impinging a fluid jet, such as an air jet or a water jet, onto an abrasive-bearing liquid film in contact with a surface of an object to be shaped by removal of material therefrom.




It is known to use abrasive fluids to shape, finish, and polish objects, especially optical elements such as lenses and mirrors. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,369, “System for Magnetorheological Finishing of Substrates,” issued Sep. 14, 1999 to Kordonsky et al. Also, see “Principles of Abrasive Water Jet Machining,” byA Momber and R. Kovacevic, published by Springer-Verlag London, Ltd. (1998), especially pp. 328-330. As used herein, the term “grinding” means relatively rapid and coarse removal of material to change the global shape of an object; the term “polishing” means relatively slow and fine removal of material to reduce the micro-roughness of a surface already formed as by grinding or other gross process. As used herein, all removal processes, including grinding, polishing, and machining, whereby a surface is shaped, are referred to collectively as “finishing.”




In the known art of jet finishing, a liquid slurry containing abrasive particles suspended in a liquid carrier medium is impinged at high velocity against a substrate surface to be finished. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,181, issued Dec. 23, 1997 to Hashish et al. The abrasive particles are sufficiently energetic to break loose particles of the substrate by mechanical attack, which substrate particles are then carried away by the slurry. Such finishing may be considered a form of mechanical grinding.




Jet impingement finishing as practiced in the known art has several serious shortcomings.




For example, the abrasive slurry typically must be maintained in a mixed state in a reservoir. Particulate abrasives typically are prone to rapid settling and thus require active mixing.




Further, the abrasive slurry must be pumped by a special abrasion-resistant pump through an abrasion-resistant delivery system and nozzle. Useful lifetimes of nozzles are known to be relatively short.




Still further, the abrasive particles are prone to settling in the slurry delivery system, thereby causing blockages and stopping flow.




Still further, known finishing systems are not well-suited to finishing very small objects or surfaces, for example, the ends of fiber-optic strands. The minimum diameter of the jet is limited by the size of the abrasive particles, or clumps thereof, which must be delivered through the nozzle. Very small diameter nozzles are readily clogged, and high pumping pressures are required to maintain high-velocity flow. Thus there is a practical lower limit on the size of substrates which may be finished by prior art apparatus and methods.




What is needed is a method and apparatus for fluid jet surface finishing of micro- and nano-sized objects.




It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for jet finishing wherein the minimum size of the surface to be finished is not limited by the size of the abrasive particles nor the diameter of a nozzle for impinging an abrasive jet thereupon. It is further object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for jet finishing by a nozzle wherein the nozzle cannot be plugged by abrasive particles.




It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for jet finishing wherein both grinding and polishing may be performed by adjustment of a given finishing apparatus.




It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for inexpensively forming microlenses.




Briefly described, a method and apparatus for finishing of a substrate surface in accordance with the invention includes means for covering the surface with a liquid slurry containing abrasive particles and means for impinging a jet of fluid, preferably air or water, against the slurry to accelerate the particles and induce formation of a high-shear work zone on the substrate surface wherein portions of the substrate are lifted and removed by the slurry to alter the shape of the substrate surface towards a predetermined shape and/or smoothness. The surface may be covered, for example, by cascading a flowing layer of slurry over it, or by impinging slurry onto the work zone, or by immersing the substrate in a pool of the slurry, or the like. The jet is provided, for example, by a tubular nozzle having an exit orifice which may be precisely located at a predetermined distance from the surface to be finished. A coarse removal function may be provided by establishing the exit orifice at a first distance from the substrate surface, and a fine removal or polishing function may be provided by placing the exit orifice at a second and closer distance from the substrate surface. Further, the areal shape of the removal function may be varied by varying the distance and angle between the nozzle and the substrate; and at certain spacings, the function is radially bimodal, permitting simple and inexpensive formation of curved surfaces such as microlenses. The nozzle may be oriented such that the axis of the jet forms a predetermined angle with the surface to be finished, between 0° and 90°. The exit orifice may be immersed in the slurry or may be disposed in space above the free surface of the slurry. The slurry may be aqueous or otherwise. Preferably, the slurry has a viscosity somewhat higher than that of water, such that a substantial rate of surface shear is induced in the slurry by the impingement of the jet. Preferably, the substrate and/or the nozzle may be controllably moved past one another to obtain the desired contour or smoothness of the substrate surface.











The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention, as well as presently preferred embodiments thereof, will become more apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:





FIG. 1

is a schematic elevational cross-sectional view of an apparatus in accordance with the invention, showing a jet-producing nozzle submerged in a pool of abrasive slurry for finishing a substrate;





FIG. 2

is a view similar to that shown in

FIG. 1

, showing a jet-producing nozzle mounted above a layer of abrasive slurry being applied via a second nozzle;





FIG. 3

is a graph showing a profile of removal rate of a substrate by normal impingement of a jet upon a slurry from a distance of the nozzle from the substrate of about 6 nozzle diameters;





FIG. 4

is a graph like that shown in

FIG. 3

, showing a profile of removal rate at a nozzle distance of about 2 nozzle diameters;





FIG. 5

is a plan view of a series of microlenses formed by stepwise indexing of a finishing apparatus in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional view taken along line


6





6


in

FIG. 5

; and





FIG. 7

is an enlarged and detailed view of the area shown in circle


7


in FIG.


1


.











Referring to

FIG. 1

, a first embodiment


10


of an apparatus for jet-induced finishing of a substrate includes a vessel


12


for holding a volume of an abrasive slurry


14


. Slurry


14


may be a conventional suspension of abrasive particles, for example, cerium oxide, dispersed in a liquid medium, or any other formulation of particulate abrasive in a liquid medium. Within vessel


12


is a mounting means


16


for holding, and preferably also rotating about a vertical axis


17


, a substrate


18


having a surface


20


to be finished by apparatus


10


. The depth of the volume of slurry


14


is such that surface


20


is submerged below the upper liquid surface


22


of slurry


14


. Preferably, vessel


12


is provided with a cover


24


to minimize loss of slurry from splattering during operation of the apparatus.




Extending through cover


24


toward substrate surface


20


is a hollow nozzle


26


connected to a fluid medium supply


28


via a line


30


and a manifold


32


. A collimated jet


31


of fluid is directed from nozzle


26


toward surface


20


. The fluid provided by supply


28


may be either a gas, such as, but not limited to, compressed air, or a liquid, such as, but not limited to, pressurized water. The flow volume of fluid medium supplied through nozzle


26


may be regulated as desired by well known conventional means (not shown). Nozzle


26


has an axis


27


of discharge flow. Nozzle


26


may be disposed at any desired angle


34


to surface


20


from 0° (parallel to the surface) to 90° (orthogonal to the surface). At a 90° nozzle angle, fluid relationships at surface


20


are substantially circularly symmetrical. Nozzle


26


has a diameter


33


of the discharge tip


35


, which tip may be disposed at any desired distance


36


from surface


20


, as shown in FIG.


7


. For purposes of explanation, the ratio of distance


36


to diameter


33


is a convenient metric.




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 3

, in a first preferred mode of operation, nozzle


26


is disposed at a distance of about 5-6 diameters from substrate surface


20


at an impingement angle of 90°. A fluid jet


31


exiting nozzle


26


accelerates abrasive particles already present in the slurry toward surface


20


. The rate of removal of material from surface


20


is proportional to the intensity of impingement, as indicated by a bell-shaped curve


37


symmetrical about axis


27


. This removal mode is said to be “brittle” and involves energetic thrusting of particles against surface


20


. These conditions are useful for general removal of material in finishing, comparable to conventional jet finishing wherein the abrasive particles are delivered through the nozzle rather than being secondarily accelerated by a supplementary fluid jet


31


. Such particulate attack, however, can cause sub-surface damage in the finished surface in the form of micro-cracks.




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 4

, a surprising and unexpected phenomenon is illustrated. As nozzle tip


35


is disposed closer to surface


20


, for example, at about 1-2 nozzle diameters, the profile


38


of removal rate changes dramatically from what is shown in FIG.


3


. The removal rate on axis


27


is diminished and increases radially to a maximum 40 and then decreases. An analysis of the fluid flow which results from the interaction of the jet and the slurry shows that the removal rate profile correlates to the radial distribution of the surface shear stress induced by the slurry flow over surface


20


. In other words, the inventor believes that at relatively close spacings of the nozzle tip to the work surface, removal of material occurs from induced surface shear stress rather than from abrasive particle inpingement at an angle to the surface. This removal mode is said to be “ductile” and has the advantage relative to the impingement mode of not producing sub-surface damage in surface


20


.




Referring to

FIGS. 5 and 6

, a useful application of the invention is in the formation of an array


41


of microlenses


42


. Such lenses have a diameter typically between about 5 mm and about 20 μm. An apparatus in accordance with the invention may be configured to operate intermittently. Revolution of means


16


generally is not necessary because of the radial symmetry of the removal function illustrated by curve


38


. The shape and slopes of curve


38


required for forming a particular lens can be determined easily without undue experimentation according to the substrate material to be formed as the lens array, for example, glass or plastic. A nozzle


26


preferably has a nozzle diameter


35


comparable to the desired diameter of each lens


42


. A material blank for forming the array is disposed on mounting means


16


at a first axial position


44




a


. Supply


28


is energized for a predetermined length of time and flow intensity. Surface


20


is shaped by jet-induced stress to form a first microlens


42




a


. The jet is shut off, the blank is indexed laterally by a predetermined amount to a second position


44




b


, supply


28


is again energized, and a second microlens


42




b


is formed. Similarly, the process is repeated stepwise across the blank to produce, successively, lenses


42




a


through


42




h


. The lenses may then be severed from the blank for individual use. Of course, array


41


may extend also in the Y direction to include a plurality of additional rows of microlenses


42


, as desired.




Referring to

FIG. 2

, a second embodiment


50


of an apparatus in accordance with the invention is similar to embodiment


10


. However, rather than having the entire mounting means


16


immersed in slurry


14


, an auxiliary nozzle


52


feeds slurry


14


at low velocity onto surface


20


for jet-induced finishing of the surface substantially identically to that provided by embodiment


10


. Nozzle


26


may or may not be immersed in slurry


14


. Slurry


14


flows and is forced off surface


20


by jet


31


, and collects at the bottom of vessel


12


, which is provided with an outlet


54


. A recirculation pump


56


is connected between outlet


54


and auxiliary nozzle


52


by hoses


58


and


60


, whereby slurry


14


is supplied continuously onto surface


20


.




From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved method and apparatus for jet-induced finishing of a substrate surface, wherein a jet of fluid is impinged against an abrasive liquid slurry on the substrate surface whereby portions of the substrate are lifted and removed by the slurry to alter the shape of the substrate surface towards a predetermined shape and/or smoothness. Variations and modifications of the herein described method and apparatus, in accordance with the invention, will undoubtedly suggest themselves to those skilled in this art. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.



Claims
  • 1. A system for jet-induced finishing of a substrate surface, comprising:a) means for covering said surface with a liquid slurry containing abrasive particles; and b) means for impinging a jet of a fluid against said slurry, said fluid being free of particles, to induce shear in said slurry adjacent said substrate surface whereby portions of said substrate are removed to alter the shape of said substrate surface towards a predetermined shape.
  • 2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for covering is selected from the group consisting of a pool and an auxiliary jet.
  • 3. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for impinging includes a nozzle having an exit tip having a diameter.
  • 4. A system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said nozzle tip is off-spaced from said substrate surface by a distance less than about six of said nozzle diameters.
  • 5. A system in accordance with claim 4 wherein said distance is less than about two nozzle diameters.
  • 6. A system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said nozzle tip is immersed in said slurry.
  • 7. A system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said nozzle tip is above a free upper surface of said slurry.
  • 8. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fluid free of particles is selected from the group consisting of a gas and a liquid.
  • 9. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said gas is air.
  • 10. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said liquid is water.
  • 11. A method for jet-induced finishing of a substrate surface, comprising the steps of:a) covering said surface with a liquid slurry containing abrasive particles; and b) impinging a jet of a fluid against said slurry, said fluid being free of particles, to induce shear stress in said slurry adjacent said substrate surface whereby portions of said substrate are removed to alter the shape of said substrate surface towards a predetermined shape.
  • 12. A method in accordance with claim 11 including the further steps of:a) providing a nozzle for said impinging of said jet, said nozzle having an exit tip having a diameter; and b) positioning said nozzle tip at a distance less than about two nozzle diameters from said substrate surface.
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This application draws priority from a Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/257,843, filed Dec. 21, 2000.

US Referenced Citations (5)
Number Name Date Kind
5048238 Ikeda Sep 1991 A
5573446 Dey et al. Nov 1996 A
5591068 Taylor et al. Jan 1997 A
5616066 Jacobs et al. Apr 1997 A
5700181 Hashish et al. Dec 1997 A
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/257843 Dec 2000 US