Method for Electrochemical Fabrication
First Claim
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1. A method of fabricating a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising:
- I. forming a first layer on a substrate, the forming comprising deposition of at least one sacrificial material and deposition of at least one structural material wherein the deposited sacrificial material and the deposited structural material are planarized to have a common height to set a boundary level for the first layer, and wherein the deposited sacrificial material is etchable with a selected etchant and the deposited structural material is not substantially etchable with the selected etchant;
II. forming additional layers adjacent to and adhered to previously formed layers, wherein the formation of each additional layer comprises deposition of at least one additional sacrificial material and deposition of at least one additional structural material and wherein the additional deposited sacrificial material and the additional deposited structural material for each additional layer are planarized to have a common height to set a boundary level for each additional layer; and
III. after formation of the additional layers, exposing the combination of the at least one structural material and the at least one sacrificial material to the selected etchant to cause etching of the at least one sacrificial material from a plurality of layers to reveal the three-dimensional structure,wherein exposed portions of the at least one sacrificial material are removed by the selected etchant while the exposed portions of the at least one structural material are not removed by the selected etchant,wherein during formation of the plurality of layers, a portion of the at least one sacrificial material becomes encapsulated within a shell of the at least one structural material and becomes a permanent part of the structure, andwherein the deposition of at least one of the at least one sacrificial material and the at least one structural material comprises electrodeposition.
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Abstract
An electroplating method that includes: a) contacting a first substrate with a first article, which includes a substrate and a conformable mask disposed in a pattern on the substrate; b) electroplating a first metal from a source of metal ions onto the first substrate in a first pattern, the first pattern corresponding to the complement of the conformable mask pattern; and c) removing the first article from the first substrate, is disclosed. Electroplating articles and electroplating apparatus are also disclosed.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of fabricating a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising:
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I. forming a first layer on a substrate, the forming comprising deposition of at least one sacrificial material and deposition of at least one structural material wherein the deposited sacrificial material and the deposited structural material are planarized to have a common height to set a boundary level for the first layer, and wherein the deposited sacrificial material is etchable with a selected etchant and the deposited structural material is not substantially etchable with the selected etchant; II. forming additional layers adjacent to and adhered to previously formed layers, wherein the formation of each additional layer comprises deposition of at least one additional sacrificial material and deposition of at least one additional structural material and wherein the additional deposited sacrificial material and the additional deposited structural material for each additional layer are planarized to have a common height to set a boundary level for each additional layer; and III. after formation of the additional layers, exposing the combination of the at least one structural material and the at least one sacrificial material to the selected etchant to cause etching of the at least one sacrificial material from a plurality of layers to reveal the three-dimensional structure, wherein exposed portions of the at least one sacrificial material are removed by the selected etchant while the exposed portions of the at least one structural material are not removed by the selected etchant, wherein during formation of the plurality of layers, a portion of the at least one sacrificial material becomes encapsulated within a shell of the at least one structural material and becomes a permanent part of the structure, and wherein the deposition of at least one of the at least one sacrificial material and the at least one structural material comprises electrodeposition.
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2. A method for forming a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
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(A) forming a plurality of successively formed layers, wherein each successive layer comprises at least two materials and is formed on and adhered to a previously formed layer, one of the at least two materials is a structural material and the other of the at least two materials is a sacrificial material, and wherein each successive layer defines a successive cross-section of the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the forming of each of the plurality of successive layers comprises; (i) depositing a first of the at least two materials; (ii) depositing a second of the at least two materials; (iii) planarizing the first and second materials to set a boundary level for the layer; and (B) after the forming of the plurality of successive layers, separating at least a portion of the sacrificial material from multiple layers of the structural material to reveal the three-dimensional structure, wherein the forming of at least a portion of the plurality of successively formed layer, results in the complete encapsulation of at least one deposited material by at least one deposited structural material that is not removed by the separating step as exposed sacrificial material is removed such that the at least one completely encapsulated material becomes a part of the three-dimensional structure. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An electroplating method for fabricating a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising:
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(i) forming a first layer comprising depositing at least a first structural material and at least a first sacrificial material and planarizing the at least one deposited first structural material and the at least one deposited first sacrificial material to set a boundary level of the first layer; (ii) forming additional layers with an initial additional layer formed on and adhered to the first layer and with subsequent additional layers formed on and adhered to previously formed additional layers, wherein the forming of each additional layer comprises depositing at least one additional structural material and depositing at least one additional sacrificial material and planarizing the at least one deposited additional structural material and the at least one additional sacrificial material to set a boundary level for each additional layer; and (iii) removing at least a portion of the at least one sacrificial material deposited on a plurality of layers after formation of the additional layers to at least partially release the three-dimensional structure from the sacrificial material, wherein the forming of at least a portion of the layers, results in the encapsulation of at least one deposited core material by at least one structural material such that the at least one structural material inhibits an etchant used to remove the at least portion of the at least one sacrificial material from encountering the at least one deposited core material, and wherein the core material and the at least one structural material form at least part of the three-dimensional structure. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification