Process for the production of star tracklng reticles

Abstract

Abstract A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RETICLES, PARTICULARLY THOSE FOR USE IN OUTER SPACE, WHEREIN THE PRODUCT IS A QUARTZ BASE COATED WITH HIGHLY ADHERENT LAYERS OF CHROMIUM, CHROMIUM-SILVER, AND SILVER VACUUM DEPOSITED THROUGH A MASK, AND THEN COATED WITH AN ELECTRODEPOSIT OF COPPER FROM A COPPER SULFATE SOLUTION FOLLOWED BY AN ELECTRODEPOSIT OF BLACK CHROMIUM. THE MASKS ARE PRODUCED BY COATING A BERYLLIUM-COPPER ALLOY SUBSTRATE WITH A POSITIVE WORKING PHOTORESIST, DEVELOPING THE PHOTORESIST ACCORDING TO A PATTERN TO LEAVE A POSITIVE MASK, PLATING UNCOATED AREAS WITH GOLD, REMOVING THE PHOTORESIST, COATING THE SUBSTRATE WITH A NEGATIVE WORKING PHOTORESIST, DEVELOPING THE NEGATIVE WORKING PHOTORESIST TO EXPOSE THE BASE METAL OF THE PATTERN, AND CHEMICALLY ETCHING THE UNPLATED SIDE OF THE PATTERN TO PRODUCE THE MASK. THE MASK PRODUCED IS THEN USED IN THE VACUUM DEPOSITION OF: (1) CHROMIUM METAL ON THE SURFACE OF A QUARTZ BASE TO OBTAIN A HIGHLY ADHERENT QUARTZ-CHROMIUM INTERFACE; (2) SILVER ON THE CHROMIUM DEPOSITE, DURING THE FINAL STAGE OF CHROMIUM DEPOSITE, TO PRODUCE A SILVERCHROMIUM ALLOY LAYER; AND (3) SILVER ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE ALLOY LAYER. THE COATED QUARTZ BASE IS THEN COATED BY ELECTROPLATING UTILIZING AN ACID COPPER DEPOSIT FOLLOWED BY A BLACK CHROMIUM ELECTRODEPOSIT TO PRODUCE THE PRODUCT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION.

Inventors

• 👤 Wade O Smith
• 👤 Albert R Toft

Bibliographic Details