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US 8,877,077 B2Granted
Method for producing thin, free-standing layers of solid state materials with structured surfaces
AssigneeSiltectra GmbH
InventorLukas Lichtensteiger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of printing comprises the steps of: providing a solid state material having an exposed surface; applying an auxiliary layer to the exposed surface to form a composite structure, the auxiliary layer having a stress pattern; subjecting the composite structure to conditions facilitating fracture of the solid state material along a plane at a depth therein; and removing the auxiliary layer and, therewith, a layer of the solid state material terminating at the fracture depth, wherein an exposed surface of the removed layer of solid state material has a surface topology corresponding to the stress pattern.
Claims28
A method of printing comprising the steps of:
- providing a solid state material having an exposed surface;
- applying an auxiliary layer comprising a polymer to the exposed surface to form a composite structure;
- subjecting the composite structure to conditions inducing a stress pattern in the auxiliary layer and in the solid state material by setting up a pre-defined temperature distribution profile inside the auxiliary layer, with a glass transition temperature of the polymer being between minimum and maximum temperatures of the temperature distribution profile, such that a part of the auxiliary layer tempered to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the polymer is stiffer than another part of the auxiliary layer tempered to a temperature above the glass transition temperature, thereby facilitating fracture of the solid state material substantially along a plane at a depth therein, wherein the glass transition temperature of the polymer is below room temperature;
- and
- removing the auxiliary layer and, therewith, a layer of the solid state material terminating at the fracture depth, an exposed surface of the removed layer of solid state material having a surface topology corresponding to the stress pattern.
2 more elements
A method of printing comprising the steps of:
- providing a solid state material having at least two exposed surfaces;
- applying a plurality of auxiliary layers to a plurality of the at least two exposed surfaces, with one separate auxiliary layer for each of those exposed surfaces, to form a composite structure;
- subjecting the composite structure to conditions inducing a stress pattern in the plurality of auxiliary layers and in the solid state material, thereby facilitating fracture of the solid state material, for each auxiliary layer, substantially along a plane at a depth in the solid state material;
- and
- removing the plurality of auxiliary layers and, with each auxiliary layer, a layer of the solid state material terminating at the fracture depth, for each auxiliary layer, an exposed surface of the removed layer of solid state material having a surface topology corresponding to the stress pattern of that auxiliary layer where at least two of the fracture planes substantially coincide, and wherein the surface topology of the corresponding removed layers of solid state material substantially corresponds to superpositions of the stress patterns of the involved auxiliary layers.
2 more elements
A method of printing comprising the steps of:
- providing a solid state material having first and second opposing and substantially parallel exposed surfaces;
- applying first and second auxiliary layers to the first and second exposed surfaces, respectively, to form a composite structure;
- subjecting the composite structure to conditions inducing a stress pattern in the two auxiliary layers and in the solid state material, thereby facilitating fracture of the solid state material substantially along a plane at a depth between the two opposing exposed surfaces;
- and
- removing the two auxiliary layers and, removing with the first auxiliary layer, a first layer of the solid state material that terminates at the fracture depth, an exposed surface of the first removed layer of solid state material having a surface topology corresponding to a superposition of the stress pattern of the two auxiliary layers, and removing with the second auxiliary layer, a second layer of the solid state material that is the complement of the first removed layer of the solid state material with regard to the initially provided solid state material, an exposed surface of the second removed layer of solid state material having a surface topology complementary to the surface topology of the first removed layer of solid state material;
- wherein the solid state material comprises a structure selected from the group consisting of a substrate, a wafer, a chip and a disk, and wherein the structure comprises pre-existing microelectronic and/or micromechanical devices.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.