Electrochemical fabrication methods incorporating dielectric materials and/or using dielectric substrates

• US 7,524,427 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microfabrica Incorporated (Technoprobe S.P.A.)
• Original Assignee: Microfabrica Incorporated (Technoprobe S.P.A.)
• Inventors: Smalley, Dennis R., Zhang, Gang, Cohen, Adam L., Lockard, Michael S., Kim, Kieun, Frodis, Uri, McPherson, Dale S., Le, Qui T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alanko; Anita K
• Application Number:
  US11/029,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20050199583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 216/2
• US Class Current: 216/2
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1605 by masking
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1608 from pretreatment step, i.e. selective pre-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1653 Two or more layers with at least one layer obtained by electroless plating and one layer obtained by electroplating
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 1/003 3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/022 using masking means
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/10 Electroplating with more than one layer of the same or of different metals for bearings C25D7/10

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to techniques for building up single layer or multi-layer structures on dielectric or partially dielectric substrates. Certain embodiments deposit seed layer material directly onto substrate materials while other embodiments use an intervening adhesion layer material. Some embodiments use different seed layer materials and/or adhesion layer materials for sacrificial and structural conductive building materials. Some embodiments apply seed layer and/or adhesion layer materials in what are effectively selective manners while other embodiments apply the materials in blanket fashion. Some embodiments remove extraneous depositions (e.g. depositions to regions unintended to form part of a layer) via planarization operations while other embodiments remove the extraneous material via etching operations. Other embodiments are directed to the electrochemical fabrication of multilayer mesoscale or microscale structures which are formed using at least one conductive structural material, at least one conductive sacrificial material, and at least one dielectric material. In some embodiments the dielectric material is a UV-curable photopolymer.

Claims

1. A process for forming a multilayer three-dimensional structure, comprising:

(a) forming and adhering a first layer of material to a dielectric substrate or to a substrate containing at least one region of dielectric material, wherein the first layer comprises at least one structural material and at least one sacrificial material;

(b) forming an adhering at least one additional layer to a previously formed layer, which may be the first layer or a layer formed subsequent to the forming of the first layer, to build up a three-dimensional structure from a plurality of adhered layers, wherein each of the at least one additional layers comprises at least one structural material and at least one sacrificial material;

(c) after formation of the plurality of layers removing the at least one sacrificial material from multiple layers to reveal the three-dimensional structure;

wherein the formation of the first layer of material additionally comprises;

(i) depositing an adhesion layer material and/or a seed layer material to form a non-planar coating of which a portion defines a region of the substrate that is to receive an electrodeposition of a selected one of a structural material or of a sacrificial material;

(ii) removing, via planarization, the adhesion layer material and/or the seed layer material from an elevated portion of the non-planar coating after deposition of the selected one of the at least one structural material or the at least one sacrificial material; and

planarizing the at least one structural material and the at least one sacrificial material to set a boundary level of the first layer.

2. A process for forming a multilayer three-dimensional structure, comprising:

(a) forming and adhering a first layer of material to a substrate, wherein the first layer comprises at least one first sacrificial material and at least one first structural material;

(b) forming and adhering at least one nth layer to a previously formed (n−

1)th layer, which may be the first layer or a layer formed subsequent to the first layer, to build up a three-dimensional structure from a plurality of adhered layers, wherein the at least one nth layer comprises at least one nth sacrificial material and at least one nth structural material;

(c) after formation of the plurality of layers removing at least one sacrificial material from multiple layers to reveal the three-dimensional structure;

wherein the formation of the nth layer further comprises;

(i) depositing an adhesion layer material and/or a seed layer material to form a non-planar coating of which a portion defines a region of the (n−

1)th layer that is to receive a deposition of a selected one of the at least one nth sacrificial material or at least one nth structural material;

(ii) removing, via planarization, the adhesion layer material and/or the seed layer material from an elevated portion of the non-planar coating after deposition of the selected one of the at least one nth sacrificial material or the at least one nth structural material; and

(iii) planarizing the at least one nth structural material and the at least one nth sacrificial material to set a boundary level of the nth layer.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the nth layer is the second layer and the (n−

1)th layer is the first layer.