Methods of and apparatus for electrochemically fabricating structures via interlaced layers or via selective etching and filling of voids

A fabrication process for forming a multi-layer three-dimensional structure from one or more structural materials, comprising:

• (a) forming and adhering a given layer, comprising at least two materials, to an at least partially formed previous layer and/or to a substrate;
• 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 formation of a plurality of the adhered layers comprises beginning a deposition operation to form a portion of a current layer prior to completing a deposition operation to form a portion of a prior layer;
• and
• wherein the formation of the prior layer, comprises:
• (c) depositing one or more structural materials;
• (d) depositing one or more sacrificial materials;
• (e) planarizing at least one deposited material such that the resulting position of the deposited material bounds a level of the prior layer;
• and
• (f) etching into at least one of the one or more structural materials at one or more positions and to one or more depths to form at least one or more voids in the prior layer such that the one or more voids do not expose a sacrificial material located on a layer preceding the prior layer;
• wherein after formation of the adhered layers, separating at least a portion of the one or more sacrificial materials, located on multiple layers, from the one or more structural materials to release multiple layers of the three-dimensional structure.

A fabrication process for forming a multi-layer three dimensional structure from one or more structural materials, comprising:

• (a) forming and adhering a given layer, comprising at least two materials, to an at least partially formed previous layer and/or to a substrate;
• 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 formation of a plurality of the adhered layers, comprises beginning a deposition operation to form a portion of a current layer prior to completing a deposition operation to form a portion of a prior layer;
• and
• wherein the formation of the prior layer, comprises:
• (c) depositing one or more structural materials;
• (d) depositing one or more sacrificial materials;
• (e) planarizing at least one deposited material such that the resulting position of the deposited material bounds a level of the prior layer:
• and
• (f) etching into at least one of the one or more structural materials at one or more positions and to one or more depths to form one or more voids such that at least one or more of the one or more voids expose a sacrificial material located on a layer preceding the prior layer;
• wherein after formation of the adhered layers, separating at least a portion of the one or more sacrificial materials, located on multiple layers, from the one or more structural materials to release multiple layers of the three-dimensional structure.

A fabrication process for forming a multi-layer three-dimensional structure from at least one structural material, comprising:

• (a) forming and adhering a given layer, comprising at least one structural material and at least one sacrificial material, to an at least partially formed previous layer and/or to a substrate;
• 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 for a plurality of the adhered layers a deposition of the at least one structural material to form a portion of a current layer results in deposition of the at least one structural material into one or more voids in a partially formed prior layer, comprising the at least one structural material and the at least one sacrificial material, such that a portion of the prior layer is also formed by the deposition of the at least one structural material, and
• wherein after formation of the adhered layers, separating multiple layers of the at least one sacrificial material from the at least one structural material to release multiple layers of the three-dimensional structure.

A fabrication process for forming a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising:

• (a) forming and adhering a layer of one or more materials to a previously formed layer and/or to a substrate;
• 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 forming of each of a plurality of the adhered layers comprises one or more planarization operations which removes a portion of the one or more materials to set a boundary level for each of the plurality of the adhered layers, and
• wherein for a plurality of the adhered layers forming interlacing elements in association with given layers that extend from the given layers into preceding layers and result in higher levels of interlacing between the one or more materials deposited in association with the given layers and one or more materials deposited in association with the preceding layers than would exist in absence of the interlacing elements.