Fabrication and measurement of electrode components for the national institute of Standards and Technology calculable capacitor

The current effort to manufacture a new calculable capacitor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is summarized with a focus on issues associated with the fabrication and measurement of the geometric properties of the main electrodes. Results presented here for a diamond turned aluminum prototype electrode show a useable profile that deviates from straight by less than 25 nm as measured using the NIST M48 coordinate measuring machine.