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US 8,557,506 B2Granted
Method of fabricating a metallic microstructure and microstructure obtained via the method
AssigneeNivarox-FAR S.A.
InventorJean-Charles Fiaccabrino
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention concerns a method of fabricating a metallic microstructure, characterized in that it includes the steps consisting in forming a photosensitive resin mold by a LIGA-UV type process, and in the uniform, galvanic deposition of a layer of a first metal and then a layer of a second metal form a block, which approximately reaches the top surface of the photosensitive resin.
Claims12
A method of fabricating a bimetallic microstructure, wherein the method includes the following steps:
- (a) providing a substrate that has at least one conductive surface;
- (b) applying a photosensitive resin layer onto the at least one conductive surface of the substrate;
- (c) irradiating the photosensitive resin layer through a mask defining a contour of a predefined microstructure;
- (d) dissolving non-irradiated zones of the photosensitive resin layer to reveal, in places, the at least one conductive surface of the substrate;
- (e) rendering irradiated zones of the photosensitive resin layer electrically conductive so as to form with the at least one conductive surface a substrate top surface of a mould, wherein the entire substrate top surface is electrically conductive;
- (f) galvanically and uniformly depositing a first metal layer of a first metal on the at least one conductive surface of the substrate and on electrically conductive surfaces of the photosensitive resin layer;
- (g) galvanically and uniformly depositing a second metal layer of a second metal on the first metal layer to form an electrodeposited block that approximately reaches a level of a top surface of the photosensitive resin layer;
- (h) flattening the photosensitive resin layer and deposited first metal and second metal to bring the photosensitive resin layer and the electrodeposited block to the same level;
- (i) separating, by delamination, the photosensitive resin layer and the electrodeposited block from the substrate;
- and
- (j) removing the photosensitive resin layer from the delaminated structure to release the bimetallic microstructure thereby formed.
8 more elements
A method of fabricating a bimetallic microstructure, wherein the method includes the following steps:
- (a) providing a substrate that has at least one conductive surface;
- (b) applying a photosensitive resin layer onto the at least one conductive surface of the substrate;
- (c) irradiating the photosensitive resin layer through a mask defining a contour of a predefined microstructure;
- (d) dissolving non-irradiated zones of the photosensitive resin layer to reveal, in places, the at least one conductive surface of the substrate;
- (e) rendering irradiated zones of the photosensitive resin layer electrically conductive so as to form with the at least one conductive surface a substrate top surface of a mould, wherein the entire substrate top surface is electrically conductive, and wherein the irradiated zones of the photosensitive resin layer are rendered electrically conductive by activating the photosensitive resin layer so the photosensitive resin layer is conductive, or by coating the photosensitive resin layer with a conductive priming layer;
- (f) galvanically and uniformly depositing a first metal layer of a first metal on the at least one conductive surface of the substrate and on electrically conductive surfaces of the photosensitive resin layer;
- (g) galvanically and uniformly depositing a second metal layer of a second metal on the first metal layer to form an electrodeposited block that approximately reaches a level of a top surface of the photosensitive resin layer;
- (h) flattening the photosensitive resin layer and deposited first metal and second metal to bring the photosensitive resin layer and the electrodeposited block to the same level;
- (i) separating, by delamination, the photosensitive resin layer and the electrodeposited block from the substrate;
- and
- (j) removing the photosensitive resin layer from the delaminated structure to release the bimetallic microstructure thereby formed.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.