Knife blades having ultra-sharp cutting edges and methods of fabrication
US5842387A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 7, 1994 |
| Grant date | Dec 1, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 7, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S76/08
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Knife blades having exceptionally sharp cutting edges are formed from wafers of monocrystalline silicon using known semiconductor processing technology. In one embodiment, an elongated ridge having a flat top covered by an etchant mask is etched to undercut the mask and to shape the ridge side walls to inwardly converge towards the ridge tip. The mask is removed and a sharp ridge apex is provided by a series of oxide forming and oxide stripping processes. Individual knife blades of silicon, each comprising a ridge having a sharp cutting edge, are shaped from the wafer. In another embodiment, the silicon wafer is etched entirely through between top and bottom surfaces to form a tapered etched wall intersecting the bottom wall at a highly acute edge. The edge is sharpened by the oxide forming and oxide stripping process to form a cutting edge in the completed blade. In both embodiments, various etch masks and etching procedures are used for providing blades of various shapes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.