Monolithic stacked/layered crystal-structure-processed mechanical, and combined mechanical and electrical, devices and methods and systems for making
AssigneeSharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
InventorJohn W. Hartzell
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Abstract
Monolithic stacked/layered room-temperature-processed materials whose internal crystalline structures are laser modification to create arrays of mechanical, and combined mechanical and electrical, devices with precision-established properties, such as important mechanical properties. Methodology and system configurations are disclosed.
Claims3
A method of forming from a precursor material having selectively and controllably changeable crystalline-structure related mechanical properties, a stacked/layered arrangement of monolithically deployed, crystal-structure-processed mechanical devices, wherein each layer is formed in a processing manner which is common to all of the layers, with each successive layer formed and stacked directly on top of a preceding underlying layer, and with the processing steps associated with each such layer comprising
- placing a precursor body of such material in a processing zone, and within that zone, deploying that body either directly on a supporting substrate, or on an already formed predecessor layer,
- selecting for each device in an intended monolithic array of devices an associated volumetric region in the associated body of material, which region is suitable (a) for the creation therefrom of the desired associated device configuration, and (b) for the establishment therein of a desired set of crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties,
- within the processing zone, subjecting each such selected region to a controlled changing of the crystalline structure therein, and thus of the related mechanical properties, and performing this subjecting step in a manner which avoids producing any heat damage to the immediately adjacent underlying supporting structure (substrate or predecessor layer), and
- by that processing, achieving, in each selected device region, the desired set of mechanical properties.
A system for the surrounding room-temperature fabrication of mechanical devices arranged in plural stacked layered monolithic arrays of such devices comprising
- a processing zone for receiving, one after another, and in a layered, stacking manner, plural successively processible monolithic material layers, formed of a material which is suitable for the fabrication of an array of configurable mechanical devices each based upon internal crystalline-structure processing and modification to create in such processed material desired internal mechanical device properties for the respective mechanical devices,
- a laser illumination processing subsystem disposed adjacent said zone, and operable under appropriate control, to illuminate regions in each successive stacked layer of such material placed in said zone, with such processing illumination occurring without negatively affecting any previously stacked and processed underlayer, and
- computer control structure operatively interposed said zone and said subsystem, operable, with a fresh, stacked material layer placed in said zone, to expose that layer to laser illumination in a manner consistent with creating no negative effect on any previously stacked layer, and in a manner which is effective, at surrounding room temperature, to modify the internal crystalline structure in arrayed regions each configurable to the shape of a desired mechanical device, with that regionally modified crystalline structure producing internal mechanical properties in the region best suited to matching the desired internal mechanical device properties intended for the device which is to emerge functionally from the region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.