# US 2014/0151237 A1 · Methods of and Apparatus for Electrochemically Fabricating Structures Interlaced Layers or Via Selective Etching and Filling of Voids > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0151237 A1 - Document ID: US20140151237A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/065,720 - Filed: 2013-10-29 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2002-05-07 - Assignees: Microfabrica Inc. - Applicants: Microfabrica Inc. - Inventors: Dennis R. Smalley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151237A1 ## CPC - C25D 5/02: Electroplating of selected surface areas - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 50/00: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B81C 1/00126: {Static structures not provided for in groups B81C1/00031 - B81C1/00119} - B81C 1/0038: {Processes for creating layers of materials not provided for in groups B81C1/00357 - B81C1/00373} - C23C 18/1605: {by masking} - C23C 18/1651: {Two or more layers only obtained by electroless plating} - C25D 1/003: {3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers} - G01P 15/0802: {Details} - G01P 15/125: by capacitive pick-up - G06F 30/392: Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement - H01P 1/202: Coaxial filters (cascaded coaxial cavities H01P1/205) - H01P 3/06: Coaxial lines - H01P 5/183: {at least one of the guides being a coaxial line} - H01P 11/00: Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type - H01P 11/005: {Manufacturing coaxial lines} - H10P 14/47: Electrolytic deposition, i.e. electroplating; Electroless plating - H10W 20/063: {by forming conductive members before forming protective insulating material} - B81B 2201/042: Micromirrors, not used as optical switches - H05K 3/4647: {by applying an insulating layer around previously made via studs} - C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01) - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G}) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H01P: WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE (operating at optical frequencies G02B) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract Multi-layer structures are electrochemically fabricated by depositing a first material, selectively etching the first material (e.g. via a mask), depositing a second material to fill in the voids created by the etching, and then planarizing the depositions so as to bound the layer being created and thereafter adding additional layers to previously formed layers. The first and second depositions may be of the blanket or selective type. The repetition of the formation process for forming successive layers may be repeated with or without variations (e.g. variations in: patterns; numbers or existence of or parameters associated with depositions, etchings, and or planarization operations; the order of operations, or the materials deposited). Other embodiments form multi-layer structures using operations that interlace material deposited in association with some layers with material deposited in association with other layers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fabrication process for forming a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising: (a) forming and adhering a layer, comprising at least a first material and a second material, one of which is a structural material and the other of which is a sacrificial material, to a previously formed layer; and (b) repeating the forming and adhering of (a) a plurality of times to build up a three-dimensional structure from a plurality of adhered layers, wherein the three-dimensional structure is formed from at least one of the first and second materials; wherein formation of at least a given layer and a subsequent layer adjacent to the given layer, of the plurality of layers, comprises: (1) depositing a first material for the given layer, onto a previously deposited material to form a portion of the given layer, wherein a height of deposition exceeds a desired boundary of the given layer; (2) planarizing the surface of the deposited first material to set a level that defines the desired boundary for the given layer; (3) selectively etching into the first material on the given layer to a desired depth to create voids in the first material of the given layer such that the voids extend through the given layer; (4) depositing a second material for the given layer which is also a first material for the subsequent layer to form a portion of the given layer and to form a portion of the subsequent layer, wherein a height of deposition exceeds a desired boundary of the subsequent layer; (5) planarizing the surface of the deposited first material for the subsequent layer, to set a level that is no less than a a level of a desired boundary for the subsequent layer; and (6) selectively etching into the first material for the subsequent layer to a desired depth to create voids in the subsequent layer such that the voids in the first material of the subsequent layer extend through the subsequent layer to at least the desired boundary of the given layer; (c) after the repeating of the forming and adhering the plurality of times, removing at least a portion of the sacrificial material from the structural material to reveal the multi-layer three-dimensional structure formed from the structural material. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 wherein at least one of the depositing of the first material for the given layer or the depositing of the second material for the given layer comprises an electrodeposition operation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2 wherein formation of a plurality of pairs of layers, each pair comprising a given layer and a subsequent layer, comprise repeating (1)-(6) during the formation of each of the plurality of pairs of layers. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The process of claim 3 wherein the plurality of pairs of layers comprise: (1) a first layer and a second layer, (2) a third layer and a fourth layer; and (3) a fifth layer and a sixth layer, wherein the first through sixth layers are six consecutive layers. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 additionally comprising: (7) depositing a second material for the subsequent layer into voids created by the etching of (6) to form a portion of the subsequent layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The process of claim 5 wherein an immediately succeeding layer is located on the subsequent layer and is intended to comprise the second material for the subsequent layer and wherein the depositing of the second material for the subsequent layer is of a sufficient extent to occupy the immediately succeeding layer to become a first material for the immediately succeeding layer and to reach at least a level that bounds the immediately succeeding layer and after the deposition of the first material for the immediately succeeding layer, planarizing the first material for the immediately succeeding layer to the level that bounds the immediately succeeding layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The process of claim 5 wherein after the depositing of the second material for the subsequent layer, planarizing the deposition of operation (7) at the level that bounds the subsequent layer. ### Claim 8 A fabrication process for forming a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising: (a) forming and adhering a material for a given layer to a previously formed layer and/or to a substrate; and (b) repeating the forming and adhering operation of (a) a plurality of times to build up a three-dimensional structure from a plurality of adhered layers; wherein for a plurality of layers, a deposition of material in association with a given layer results in deposition of material into voids in a previous layer that was only partially completed. ### Claim 9 A method for processing data representing a three-dimensional structure to obtain cross-sectional data for use in forming the three-dimensional structure from a plurality of adhered layers, comprising: (a) receiving data representing a three-dimensional structure to be formed; (b) deriving preliminary cross-sectional data for each layer that will be used during the formation of the three-dimensional structure; (c) deriving common data for each layer n−1, representing intersections between structural material that will exist on layer n and on layer n−1 during formation of the three-dimensional structure; (d) deriving offset data from the common data that has a boundary that is offset inward relative to the common data; and (e) deriving a pattern of etching holes from the offset data for each layer using a predefined grid pattern of etching hole patterns.