Method to Generate Surfaces with Desired Roughness Parameters

A surface engineering method based on the electrostatic deposition of microparticles and dry etching is described and shown to be able to independently tune both amplitude and spatial roughness parameters of the final surface. Statistical models were developed to connect process variables to the amplitude parameters (center line average and root-mean-square) and a spatial parameter (autocorrelation length) of the final surfaces. Process variables include particle coverage, which affects both amplitude and spatial roughness parameters, particle size, which affects only spatial parameters, and etch depth, which affects only amplitude parameters. Correlations between experimental data and model predictions are discussed.