Quantitative Evaluation of Bosch-DRIE-Induced Scalloping Effects on the Thrust Performance of Axisymmetric Micronozzles

Giwon La; Jini Yang; Jongkwang Lee

doi:10.6108/JPNE.2026.6.1.036

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2026 Vol.6, Issue 1 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

Quantitative Evaluation of Bosch-DRIE-Induced Scalloping Effects on the Thrust Performance of Axisymmetric Micronozzles

31 May 2026. pp. 36-44

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Abstract

This study quantifies the effect of Bosch-DRIE-induced scalloping on the thrust performance of axisymmetric micronozzles fabricated by DRIE. Numerical simulations showed that, for a throat diameter of 400 µm, thrust variation remained within 1% when the relative roughness parameter δ was ≤ 2.0%. For smaller throat diameters, the numerical results similarly showed that the effect of relative roughness on thrust remained below 1% within the investigated range. Micronozzles designed for target thrust levels of 50 mN and 100 mN (with throat diameters of 250 µm and 350 µm) were fabricated and experimentally tested. The measured relative roughness was approximately 0.5%, well below the range associated with noticeable thrust variation. Experimental results indicated that the observed thrust change was more closely related to the increase in throat diameter (0.8-0.9%) caused by wet etching than to scalloping itself. Overall, these findings provide practical guidance for establishing fabrication tolerances in the design of MEMS-based micronozzles.

Keywords

Micronozzle

DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching)

Cold Gas Thruster

Microthruster

Thrust Measurement

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Information

Publisher :The Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
Publisher(Ko) :한국추진공학회
Journal Title :Journal of Propulsion and Energy
Journal Title(Ko) :Free Open Access International Journal on Propulsion and Energy Science and Technology
Volume : 6
No :1
Pages :36-44
Received Date : 2026-02-24
Revised Date : 2026-04-10
Accepted Date : 2026-04-18
DOI :https://doi.org/10.6108/JPNE.2026.6.1.036

Journal of Propulsion and Energy ISSN:2734-1887(Print) 2765-0049(Online) Free Open Access International Journal on Propulsion and Energy Science and Technology

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