Microelectromechanical systems fabricated with roll to roll processing
AssigneeEncite LLC
InventorStephen Alan Marsh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Roll to roll processing techniques are described to produce microelectromechanical systems having releasable and moveable mechanical structures. A micro-pump that includes a pump body having compartmentalized pump chambers, with plural inlet and outlet ports and valves and plural membranes enclosing the pump chambers is described as a representative example.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a microelectromechanical system, the microelectromechanical system comprising a fixed body and an element that is releasable from the body, and once released, is moveable relative to the fixed body, the method comprising:
- patterning a metal coating on a first surface of a first sheet of a flexible plastic material to remove the metal coating from a first portion of the surface of the first sheet, while leaving a first metallic region on a second portion of the surface of the sheet;
- patterning the first sheet to produce the fixed body from the first portion of the sheet, and the element from the second portion of the first sheet, with the element having the first metallic region, and a tether that tethers the element to a portion of the fixed body;
- and
- laminating a second sheet of a flexible plastic material to the first sheet to provide a composite laminated structure.
The method of claim of 2 wherein the at least one metal region is a first metal region the element is a first element, and patterning the metal coating further comprises:
- ablating the metal coating to leave the first metal region and a second metal region on the first sheet;
- and wherein patterning the first sheet further comprises:
- patterning the first sheet to produce from a third portion of the sheet, a second element that is releasable from the fixed body, and once released is moveable relative to the fixed body, with the second element having the second metallic region and a tether that tethers the second element to a second portion of the fixed body.
The method of claim of 1 wherein the second sheet has a conductive layer on a first surface of the second sheet.
The method of claim of 1 wherein the microelectromechanical system is fabricated on a roll to roll processing line, and the method further comprising:
- removing the first sheet of the flexible plastic material having the metal coating from a first roll;
- and
- removing the second sheet of the flexible plastic material having a metal coating on one surface from a second roll;
- and wherein patterning of the metal coating on the first sheet includes ablating and patterning of the first sheet includes ablating.
A method of manufacturing a microelectromechanical system in a roll to roll processing line, the method comprising:
- unrolling from a first roll, a first sheet of a flexible material having a metal coating on one surface of the sheet;
- patterning the first sheet to remove the metal coating from a first portion of the surface of the first sheet, while leaving a first metallic region on a second portion of the surface of the sheet;
- producing at a first patterning station a body element from the first portion of the first sheet and an element that is releasable from the body, and once released is moveable relative to the body from the second portion of the first sheet of material;
- unrolling from a second roll, a second sheet of a flexible material;
- laminating at a laminating station the first sheet to the second sheet, with the first and second sheets adhering together in the first regions but the second sheet not adhering to the first metallic region on the first sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.