Manipulation of micromechanical objects
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsNancy Anne Greco, Ernest Norman Levine, Michael F. Lofaro, James Gardner Ryan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aid to the manipulation of microfabricated micro tools in manufacturing and assembly is disclosed. A sequence of micro tools and a manipulator are connected to one another via attachment links as a combination. The attachment links are optimized to readily allow severing of individual micro tools from the combination as needed. The manipulator provides an aid for handling the combination via probe, pliers, clasping, mating or other device. This facilitates human or machine interaction with the combination of micro tools, either for subsequent processing, or for the assembly of the micro tools into a completed product.
Claims18
A combination of microfabricated objects, comprising:
- a plurality of micro-tools;
- a plurality of micro attachment links;
- and
- a manipulator larger in size than the micro-tools;
- the micro-tools being connected only by the micro attachment links, the micro-tools and micro attachment links forming a linear array having a distal end and a proximal end with respect to the manipulator, the array being connected at the proximal end to the manipulator by a micro attachment link and having at the distal end one of (a) a micro-tool and (b) a micro attachment link connected only to a micro-tool,
- so that the combination of microfabricated objects may be handled using the manipulator, and breaking of a micro attachment link connecting a given micro-tool to the array permits movement of the array relative to said micro-tool.
A system for manipulation of microfabricated objects, comprising:
- a plurality of micro-tools;
- a plurality of micro attachment links;
- a manipulator larger in size than the micro-tools;
- a probe tool;
- and
- means for micro-observation;
- where the micro-tools are connected only by the micro attachment links, and a combination of micro fabricated objects is formed by connecting the micro-tools by the micro attachment links to form a linear array having a distal end and a proximal end with respect to the manipulator, the array being connected at the proximal end to the manipulator by a micro attachment link and having at the distal end one of (a) a micro-tools and (b) a micro attachment link connected only to a micro-tool,
- whereby the combination of microfabricated objects may be handled by coupling the probe tool to the manipulator, and breaking of a micro attachment link connecting a given micro-tool to the array permits movement of the array relative to said micro-tool, all while in view of the means for micro-observation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.