Method for manufacturing a diamond cylinder array having dents therein

• US 6,607,673 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2001
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Tokyo
• Original Assignee: University of Tokyo
• Inventors: Masuda, Hideki, Fujishima, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Shrive P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLSEN, ALLAN W
• Application Number:
  US09/932,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20020096107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 216/11, 216/12, 216/13, 216/67, 216/81
• US Class Current: 216/11
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/045 Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/27 Diamond only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2201/30457 Diamond
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/025 of field emission cathodes

Abstract

A cylinder array of diamond having a dent in its cylinder top face is manufactured by subjecting a cylinder array of diamond to a plasma etching.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an array of cylinders each made of diamond and having a dent in its top face, which comprises subjecting a cylinder array of diamond to a plasma etching to form a dent in the top face of each cylinder.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said cylinders is grown in each of pores in an anodized porous alumina used as a mold by forming diamond in each pore of the anodized porous alumina through a vapor phase growth process.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plasma etching is carried out in an atmosphere containing oxygen.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said dent has a ratio of depth to width of not less than 1.

5. A method for manufacturing an array of vertically-arranged multiple micro-cylinders, each cylinder made of diamond and having a recess on its top surface, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming an array of vertically-arranged multiple micro-cylinders made of diamond; and

(b) plasma-etching the top surfaces of the micro-cylinders without a mask to form a recess on the top surfaces of the micro-cylinders.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein step (a) comprises depositing diamond by a CVD method in pores of an anodized porous alumina used as a mold, and removing the anodized porous alumina.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein step (b) is conducted using oxygen as a reaction gas.