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US 7,351,321 B2Granted
Method for electrochemical fabrication
AssigneeMicrofabrica Inc.
InventorAdam L. Cohen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electroplating method that includes: a) contacting a first substrate with a first article, which includes a substrate and a conformable mask disposed in a pattern on the substrate; b) electroplating a first metal from a source of metal ions onto the first substrate in a first pattern, the first pattern corresponding to the complement of the conformable mask pattern; and c) removing the first article from the first substrate, is disclosed. Electroplating articles and electroplating apparatus are also disclosed.
Claims16
A method for fabricating a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising:
- (i) forming a first layer, comprising:
- a) providing a first mask in contact with a substrate, wherein the mask has a first pattern of openings therein;
- b) electrodepositing a first pattern of a first material from a source of the first material onto said substrate using the first mask to form a portion of a first layer;
- c) removing the first mask from the substrate;
- d) providing a second mask in contact with the substrate, and/or the first material, wherein the mask has a second pattern of openings therein;
- e) electrodepositing a second pattern of a second material from a source of the second material onto said substrate and/or the first material using the second mask to form a portion of the first layer;
- and
- f) removing the second mask from the substrate and/or first material;
- (ii) building additional layers adjacent to and adhered to previously formed layers to build up the multi-layer three-dimensional structure, wherein the first material comprises a sacrificial material and the second material comprises a structural material, and
- (iii) releasing the structural material from the sacrificial material after the build up of the multi-layer structure.
7 more elements
A method for fabricating a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising:
- (i) forming a first layer, comprising:
- a) providing a first mask in contact with a substrate, wherein the mask has a first pattern of openings therein;
- b) electrodepositing a first pattern of a first material from a source of the first material onto said substrate using the first mask to form a portion of a first layer;
- c) removing the first mask from the substrate;
- d) providing a second mask in contact with the substrate, and/or the first material, wherein the mask has a second pattern of openings therein;
- e) electrodepositing a second pattern of a second material from a source of the second material onto said substrate and/or the first material using the second mask to form a portion of the first layer;
- and
- f) removing the second mask from the substrate and/or first material;
- (ii) building additional layers adjacent to and adhered to previously formed layers to build up the multi-layer three-dimensional structure, wherein the first material comprises a structural material and the second material comprises a sacrificial material;
- and
- (iii) releasing the structural material from the sacrificial material after the build up of the multi-layer structure.
8 more elements
A method for fabricating a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising:
- (i) forming a first layer, comprising:
- a) providing a first mask in contact with a substrate, wherein the mask has a first pattern of openings therein;
- b) electrodepositing a first pattern of a first material from a source of the first material onto said substrate using the first mask to form a portion of a first layer;
- c) removing the first mask from the substrate;
- d) providing a second mask in contact with the substrate, and/or the first material, wherein the mask has a second pattern of openings therein;
- e) electrodepositing a second pattern of a second material from a source of the second material onto said substrate and/or the first material using the second mask to form a portion of the first layer;
- f) removing the second mask from the substrate and/or first material;
- and
- g) removing a portion of the first material and a portion of the second material during a process of planarizing a surface of the first layers;
- (ii) building additional layers adjacent to and adhered to previously formed layers to build up the multi-layer three-dimensional structure, wherein one of the first material or the second material comprises a structural material and another of the first material or the second material comprises a sacrificial material, and
- (iii) releasing the structural material from the sacrificial material after building the additional layers of the multi-layer structure.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.