AVS 51st International Symposium
    MEMS and NEMS Monday Sessions
       Session MN-MoA

Paper MN-MoA9
Ultrafast Fabrication of 3D Microstructures for MEMS Applications

Monday, November 15, 2004, 4:40 pm, Room 213C

Session: Micro and Nano Fabrication Techniques for MEMS and NEMS
Presenter: H. Yu, Boston University
Authors: H. Yu, Boston University
B. Li, Boston University
X. Zhang, Boston University
Correspondent: Click to Email
Recently, the interest in three-dimensional (3D) microstructures with mechanical, electrical, optical, and biological functionalities has increased dramatically. These microstructures promise to be of great importance for numerous applications including those for the coming biotechnology revolution. This paper introduces an innovative 3D fabrication method by using a laser scanning system, which allows for rapid processing of freeform multi-layered microstructures, and more importantly enables fast development of microdevices with a low cost. In particular, by using this method, we can create a variety of 3D microstructures including: oblique micropillar arrays, micro T-plugs, embedded microchannels, and freestanding microcantilevers. Compared to the existing manufacturing techniques, our direct UV laser writing method greatly simplifies fabrication processes, potentially reducing the design-to-fabrication time to a few hours. Furthermore, the process can be set up in a conventional manufacturing environment without the need for clean room facilities. The ultrafast and low cost characteristics allow our method to be extremely beneficial during the product development stages. The initial process validation has been presented by using SU-8 material. This technique is expected to be able to process a broad range of materials, including polymers, metals, and semiconductors by using ultrafast lasers. The results presented in this paper serve as the first crucial step towards the rapid manufacturing of microdevices with mechanical, optical, and/or biological functionalities for enormous applications.