Feature formation in a nonphotoimagable material and switch incorporating same

• US 6,747,222 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lindsey, John Ralph, Kondoh, You, Wong, Marvin Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedhofer, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Klaus, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US10/357,794
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 200/61.47, 200/220, 200/187-192, 200/199, 200/201, 200/214, 200/221-229, 200/235, 200/236, 200/182, 200/197, 427/79, 296/22, 295/92, 298/87
• US Class Current: 200/182
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 11/02 for mercury switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2029/008 using micromechanics, e.g. micromechanical liquid contact switches or [LIMMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 29/28 with level of surface of contact liquid displaced by fluid pressure

Abstract

A first resist is deposited on at least a portion of a substrate (or existing feature on the substrate) that will underlie a feature in a nonphotoimagable material that is to be deposited on the substrate. Thereafter, the nonphotoimagable material is deposited so that it overlaps at least a portion of the first resist. A second resist is then deposited on at least a portion of the nonphotoimagable material, and a feature is patterned on the second resist. Subsequently, the part is sandblasted until the first resist is exposed, and the first and second resists are then removed. In one embodiment, the nonphotoimagable material is deposited on a channel plate and used to seal at least a switching fluid between the channel plate and another substrate.

Claims

1. A switch, produced by:

a) forming at least one channel in a channel plate;

b) depositing a first resist on at least a portion of a channel that will underlie a feature that is to be formed in a nonphotoimagable material;

c) depositing the nonphotoimagable material so that it overlaps at least a portion of the first resist;

d) depositing a second resist on at least a portion of the nonphotoimagable material;

e) patterning the feature on the second resist;

f) sandblasting until the first resist is exposed;

g) removing the first and second resists; and

h) aligning the at least one channel formed in the channel plate with at least one feature on a substrate, and sealing, by means of the nonphotoimagable material, at least a switching fluid between the channel plate and the substrate.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the nonphotoimagable material is an adhesive.

3. The switch of claim 2, wherein the adhesive is Cytop™

.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the nonphotoimagable material is a gasket material.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein a channel surface on which the first resist is deposited is metallic.

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein depositing the first resist comprises:

a) patterning the first resist; and

b) removing unwanted portions of the first resist.

7. The switch of claim 1, wherein the first resist is deposited at a greater thickness than the nonphotoimagable material.

8. The switch of claim 1, wherein the first resist is deposited so that a width of the first resist is less than a width of a first channel on which it is deposited.

9. The switch of claim 1, wherein:

a) the at least one channel formed in the channel plate comprises a channel for holding the switching fluid, a channel for holding an actuating fluid, and a channel connecting the channel holding the actuating fluid to the channel holding the switching fluid; and

b) the first resist is deposited on at least portions of each of these channels.