Semi-sacrificial mold for diamond structures
AssigneeMetadigm LLC
InventorsHongbing Liu, Victor B. Kley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A patterned structure forms a portion of the mold for a diamond molded structure but is separable from the mold by the same processes that release the diamond part. The mold portion may itself be a component in a MEMS or NEMS structure or device or the precursor to such a structure or device. The mold portion may be made from sapphire or silicon carbide. The mold portion may be coated and polished to obtain an optically smooth surface over the diamond mold inside pit. The coating may be formed from one or more of silicon carbide, PTFE, silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, sapphire, a metal, a plastic, and an epoxy.
Claims18
A method of forming a structure that includes a molded diamond structure, the method comprising:
- providing a mold body having a mold body cavity extending into the mold body from an upper surface of the mold body;
- providing a patterned structure atop the mold body, the patterned structure having an aperture aligned with the mold body cavity, wherein the mold body and the patterned structure form a mold structure with a mold cavity defined by the mold body cavity and the aperture;
- molding the diamond structure by growing diamond in the mold cavity so that the diamond structure is bounded by at least the mold body cavity and walls of the aperture;
- releasing the diamond structure from the mold body using a process;
- and
- separating the patterned structure from the mold body by the same process that is used to release the diamond structure from the mold body.
A method of forming a structure that includes a plurality of molded diamond structures, the method comprising:
- providing a mold body having a plurality of mold body cavities extending into the mold body from an upper surface of the mold body;
- providing a patterned structure having a plurality of apertures corresponding to the mold body cavities;
- bonding the patterned structure to the upper surface of the mold body with the apertures aligned with the mold body cavities to form a mold structure with a plurality of mold cavities defined by the mold body cavities and the apertures;
- growing diamond in the mold cavities to provide the molded diamond structures, each being bounded by a respective mold body cavity and walls of the corresponding aperture;
- and
- etching the mold body away from the diamond structures and the patterned structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.