Method of producing a three-dimensional structure and fine three-dimensional structure

• US 8,021,593 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan), SIJTechnology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan), SIJTechnology, Inc.
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Hiroshi, Murata, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole; Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sultana; Nahida
• Application Number:
  US10/566,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20060198959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,609 Days
• Field of Search: 264/401, 264/113, 264/308, 425/375, 425/174.2, 347/1
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00111 Tips, pillars, i.e. raised structures microneedles A61M37/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0184 Digital lithography, e.g. using an inkjet print-head
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 99/0095 Aspects relating to the manufacture of substrate-free structures, not covered by groups B81C99/008 - B81C99/009

Abstract

A method of producing a three-dimensional structure contains the steps of: arranging a substrate close to a tip of a needle-shaped fluid-ejection body having a fine diameter supplied with a solution, ejecting a fluid droplet having an ultra-fine diameter toward a surface of the substrate by applying a voltage having a prescribed waveform to the needle-shaped fluid-ejection body, making the droplet fly and land on the substrate, and solidifying the droplet after the fluid droplet is landed on the substrate; further a three-dimensional structure has a fine diameter comprises droplets having an ultra-fine particle diameter, wherein the structure is grown by solidifying the droplets and stacking the solidified droplets.

Claims

1. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising the steps of:

providing a needle-shaped nozzle body having a fine inside diameter at a tip thereof, the nozzle supplied with a fluid;

arranging a tip of the nozzle to be close to a substrate;

ejecting a fluid droplet having an ultra-fine diameter from the tip of the nozzle toward a surface of the substrate by applying a voltage having a prescribed waveform to the needle-shaped nozzle body via the electrode so as to make the droplet fly and land on the substrate, and thereby the droplet being dried to be a solidified substance after landing on the substrate; and

maintaining a position and continually ejecting subsequent droplets by applying the prescribed waveform voltage to the nozzle for the droplets being stacked on said solidified substance so as to form a grown three-dimensional structure,

wherein the nozzle inside diameter is 0.01 μ

m to 8 μ

m,

wherein an electric line of force is attracted to the top of the solidified substance of the droplet, and wherein the three-dimensional structure is grown by stacking the subsequent flying droplet guided along the electric line of force onto the top of the solidified substance,

wherein a diameter of the ejected droplet is 15 μ

m or less, and

wherein the fluid droplet dries and solidifies by evaporation and drying to increase the viscosity of the fluid to allow stacking.

2. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional diameter of the three-dimensional structure is controlled by a volatile property of the droplet ejected from the needle-shaped fluid-ejection body.

3. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of the substrate is controlled in that the previously landed droplet on the substrate is volatilized to be hard enough for the subsequent droplet stacked thereon.

4. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a surface temperature of the substrate is controlled by at least one heating means selected from the group consisting of a Peltier element, an electric heater, an infrared heater, a heater using fluid such as an oil heater, a silicon rubber heater, and a thermistor, that is fixed to the substrate or a substrate supporting body.

5. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a surface temperature of the substrate is controlled in a range of from room temperature to 100°

C.

6. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a solution containing metal particulates.

7. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a polymer solution.

8. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a solution containing ultra-fine ceramic particles.

9. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a sol-gel solution of ceramics.

10. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a low molecular weight compound solution.

11. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a fluid containing at least one solution selected from the group consisting of a solution containing metal particulates, a polymer solution, a solution containing ultra-fine ceramic particles, a sol-gel solution of ceramics, and a low-molecular weight compound solution.

12. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of the droplet is 5 μ

m or less.

13. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of the droplet is 3 μ

m or less.

14. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a time required for the droplet to be dried and solidified is 2 seconds or less.

15. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 14, wherein the time required for the droplet to be dried and solidified is 1 second or less.

16. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 14, wherein the time required for the droplet to be dried and solidified is 0.1 second or less.

17. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a flying speed of the droplet is 4 m/sec or more.

18. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 17, wherein the flying speed is 6 m/sec or more.

19. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 17, wherein the flying speed is 10 m/sec or more.

20. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the steps are conducted in an atmosphere having a vapor pressure of the fluid lower than a saturated vapor pressure of the fluid.

21. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a dielectric constant of the fluid to be ejected is 1 or more.

22. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the needle-shaped nozzle is a micro-capillary tube.

23. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, further comprising an electrode within the nozzle.

24. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional structure has an aspect ratio of 3 or more.

25. The method of producing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the evaporation includes volatilization.