Micro-structure and manufacturing method and apparatus

• US 6,245,249 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Takayuki, Takahashi, Mutsuya, Nagata, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Alanko, Anita
• Application Number:
  US09/064,056
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 216/2, 216/11, 216/33, 216/36, 216/37, 216/38, 216/40, 216/56, 216/66, 216/62, 216/87, 216/102, 156/233, 156/234, 156/235, 156/236, 156/379.6, 156/378.8, 156/540, 156/556, 156/580, 204/192, 204/34, 134/1.1, 134/42
• US Class Current: 216/33
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/035 Microgears
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0197 Processes for making multi-layered devices not provided for in groups B81C2201/0176 - B81C2201/0192
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 99/008 separating the processed structure from a mother substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/12 Surface bonding means and/or assembly means with cutting, punching, piercing, severing or tearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/13 Severing followed by associating with part from same source
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/14 Surface bonding means and/or assembly means with shaping, scarifying, or cleaning joining surface only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]

Abstract

A substrate on which a plurality of thin films having a plurality of cross-sections corresponding to the cross-section of a micro-structure are formed is placed on a substrate holder. The substrate holder is elevated to bond a thin film formed on the substrate to the surface of a stage, and by lowering the substrate holder, the thin film is separated from the substrate and transferred to the stage side. The transfer process is repeated to laminate a plurality of thin films on the stage and to form the micro-structure. Accordingly, there are provided a micro-structure having high dimensional precision, especially high resolution in the lamination direction, which can be manufactured from a metal or an insulator such as ceramics and can be manufactured in the combined form of structural elements together, and a manufacturing method and an apparatus thereof.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method of a micro-structure, comprising:

first forming step comprising forming a plurality of thin films having prescribed two-dimensionally patterned forms on a substrate; and

a second forming step comprising forming a micro-structure by separating at least one of said plurality of thin films from said substrate, laminating and bonding said at least one thin film on a stage to which said at least one thin film has been transferred.

2. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of thin films are formed on said substrate with interposition of spaces between thin films in said first forming step.

3. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of thin films are transferred from said substrate simultaneously, and said plurality of thin films are laminated simultaneously on different positions on said stage, in said second forming step.

4. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of thin films having the same two-dimensional pattern are formed on said substrate with interposition of spaces in said first forming step, and said plurality of thin films having the same two-dimensional pattern are separated simultaneously in said second forming step.

5. The manufacturing method of a micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a support thin film is formed surrounding thin films having said two-dimensional pattern with interposition of a space on said substrate in said first forming step, said plurality of thin films and said support thin film are separated simultaneously from said substrate and said plurality of thin films and said support thin film are laminated simultaneously on said stage in said second forming step, and further comprising after the second forming step, a third step comprising removing a support formed of said laminated support thin films surrounding said micro-structure.

6. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first forming step comprises depositing a thin film on said substrate by vacuum vapor deposition or spin coating, and said plurality of thin films by patterning said thin film into a prescribed two-dimensional pattern.

7. The manufacturing method of a micro-structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein said patterning process comprises removing a circumference of said two-dimensional pattern or a selected portion other than said two-dimensional pattern by irradiating said thin film with a focused ion beam or electron beam.

8. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein said patterning process is a lithography process including resist pattern forming and etching.

9. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of thin films are bonded by surface activated bonding in said second forming step.

10. The manufacturing method of a micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second step includes a process for cleaning one of a surface of said stage and the at least one thin film transferred to the stage, and one of surfaces of said plurality of thin films which will be transferred to the stage and the at least one thin film transferred to the stage, in a vacuum chamber.

11. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 10, wherein said cleaning process comprises irradiating said bonded surface with a particle beam.

12. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sacrificial layer which can be selectively removed after forming said micro-structure by laminating said plurality of thin films is formed on the surface of said stage as an interface between said thin film and said stage.

13. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a releasing layer is formed on the surface of said substrate as an interface between said substrate and said thin film.

14. The manufacturing method of micro-structure as claimed in claim 13, wherein said releasing layer is formed by vacuum vapor deposition or coating of fluorine-containing material, or by exposing the surface of said substrate to discharge of a gas containing fluorine atoms to fluoridize the substrate surface.

32. The manufacturing method of a microstructure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first forming step further comprises a patterning step including patterning said plurality of thin films together.

33. The manufacturing method of a microstructure as claimed in claim 32, wherein said patterning step comprises patterning said plurality of thin films together simultaneously.

34. The manufacturing method of a microstructure as claimed in claim 32, wherein said patterning step comprises a patterning method selected from the group consisting of photolithography, a focused beam ion method and electron beam lithography.

35. The manufacturing method of a micro-structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

cleaning surfaces of the plurality of thin films by irradiating the surfaces with a particle beam; and

bonding the plurality of thin films by contacting the cleaned surfaces of the plurality of thin films to a surface.

15. A manufacturing method of micro-structures comprising;

a first step for forming a plurality of first thin films having a prescribed two-dimensional pattern on a substrate, and forming a plurality of second thin films composed of different material from that of said first thin films and having the same film thickness as said first thin film around said plurality of first thin films to form a plurality of composite thin films composed of said first thin films and said second thin films,

a second step for forming a laminate including a micro-structure by separating said plurality of composite thin films from said substrate and subsequently by laminating and bonding said plurality of composite thin films on a stage, and

a third step for removing said first thin films or said second thin films out of said laminate to obtain said micro-structure.

16. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein said plurality of first thin films are formed on said substrate with interposition of spaces in said first step.

17. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein a plurality of said composite thin films are transferred simultaneously from said substrate and said plurality of composite thin films are laminated simultaneously at different positions on said stage in said second step.

18. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 17, wherein a plurality of composite thin films having the same two-dimensional pattern are formed on said substrate with interposition of spaces between said thin films in said first step, and said plurality of composite thin films having the same two-dimensional pattern are transferred simultaneously in said second step.

19. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein said first step includes a process in which a thin film is formed on said substrate by vacuum vapor deposition or spin coating, and said plurality of first thin films are formed by patterning said thin film into a prescribed two-dimensional pattern.

20. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 19, wherein said patterning process is a process in which the circumference of said two-dimensional pattern or unnecessary portion other than said two-dimensional pattern is removed by application of a focused ion beam or an electron beam thereto.

21. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 19, wherein said patterning process is the photolithography including resist pattern forming and etching.

22. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein said first step includes a process in which said plurality of first thin films are formed and said second thin films are formed on said substrate on which said plurality of first thin films are not formed, and then the film thickness of said first thin films and the second thin films is equalized by polishing the surface until the film thickness of said first thin films and said second thin films is made equal.

23. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein said plurality of composite thin films are bonded by surface activated bonding in said second step.

24. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein said second step includes a process for cleaning one of the bonding surface of said stage on which said plurality of composite thin films is bonded and said plurality of composite thin films on said stage, and one of surfaces of said plurality of composite thin films which will be transferred to said stage and said plurality of composite thin films bonded on said stage, in a vacuum chamber.

25. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 24, wherein said cleaning process is a process in which said bonded surface is irradiated with a particle beam.

26. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein a sacrificial layer which can be removed after forming said laminate is formed previously on the surface of said stage as an interface between said composite thin film and said stage by laminating said plurality of composite thin films.

27. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 15, wherein a releasing layer is formed previously on the surface of said substrate as an interface between said substrate and said composite thin film.

28. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 27, wherein said releasing layer is formed by vapor deposition or coating of fluorine-containing material, or by exposing the surface of said substrate to discharge of a gas containing fluorine atom to fluoridize the surface of said substrate.

29. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 20, wherein said micro-structure is composed of a plurality of independent structural elements, and in said first step said plurality of first thin films are formed so that said plurality of structural elements which are assembled in the form of said micro-structure are contained in said laminate when lamination of said plurality of composite thin films in said second step is completed.

30. A manufacturing method of micro-structures comprising;

a first step for forming a thin film respectively on a plurality of substrates and forming a plurality of latent images having a prescribed two-dimensional pattern on each said thin film formed on said plurality of substrates,

a second step for bonding said thin films each other on which said latent images are formed,

a third step for removing one substrate out of a pair of said substrates having said thin films bonded each other,

a fourth step for laminating a plurality of thin films by repeating said second step and said third step, and

a fifth step for developing said latent images out of said plurality of laminated thin films.

31. The manufacturing method of micro-structures as claimed in claim 30, wherein said latent images are formed by diffusion of impurity into said substrate.