Method for fabricating miniature structures or devices such as RF and microwave components

• US 9,620,834 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Memgen Corporation (Technoprobe S.P.A.), Microfabrica Incorporated (Technoprobe S.P.A.)
• Original Assignee: Microfabrica Incorporated (Technoprobe S.P.A.)
• Inventors: Brown, Elliott R., Evans, John D., Bang, Christopher A., Cohen, Adam L., Lockard, Michael S., Smalley, Dennis R., Grosser, Morton
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glenn, Kimberly
• Application Number:
  US14/194,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20140197904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 333160
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/042 Micromirrors, not used as optical switches
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 1/003 3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/202 Coaxial filters cascaded coaxial cavities H01P1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/005 Manufacturing coaxial lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/007 Manufacturing frequency-selective devices resonators H01P11/008
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/06 Coaxial lines
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/183 at least one of the guides being a coaxial line
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4647 by applying an insulating layer around previously made via studs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

Multi-layer, multi-material fabrication methods include depositing at least one structural material and at least one sacrificial material during the formation of each of a plurality of layers wherein deposited materials for each layer are planarized to set a boundary level for the respective layer and wherein during formation of at least one layer at least three materials are deposited with a planarization operation occurring before deposition of the last material to set a planarization level above the layer boundary level and wherein a planarization occurs after deposition of the last material level above the layer boundary level and wherein a planarization occurs after deposition of the last material whereby the boundary level for the layer is set. Some formation processes use electrochemical fabrication techniques (e.g. including selective depositions, bulk depositions, etching operations and planarization operations) and post-deposition processes (e.g. selective etching operations and/or back filling operations).

Claims

1. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor having a length;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

a substrate to which the outer conductor connects;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor.

2. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor having a length;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor, and

wherein the outer conductor comprises a plurality of stacked planar layers.

3. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the outer conductor is monolithic and comprises a plurality of planar layers.

4. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor having a length;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,

wherein the outer conductor further comprises a conductive base to which the walls connect and wherein the conductive base is located below the central conductor.

5. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor having a length;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,

wherein the outer conductor further comprises a conductive top to which the walls connect and wherein the conductive top is located above the central conductor.

6. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor having a length;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,

wherein a dielectric support member extends only from one side of the outer conductor to the central conductor but not to an opposite side of the outer conductor.

7. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor having a length;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,

wherein the waveguide is functionally coupled to an active electronic device.

8. A three-dimensional microstructure, comprising:

a first microstructural element formed of a first material; and

a second microstructural element formed of a second material different from the first material;

a third microstructural element formed of a third material that is different from the second material;

wherein the second microstructural element comprises an anchoring portion embedded in the first microstructural element and contacting the third microstructural element for mechanically locking the first microstructural element to third microstructural element via the second microstructural element,

wherein each of the first and third microstructural elements comprises a conductor and the second microstructural element comprises a dielectric, and wherein at least one of the first and third microstructural elements is a monolithic structure comprising a plurality of adhered planar layers of a conductor.

9. The microstructure of claim 8 wherein the anchoring portion includes a change in cross-section.

10. The microstructure of claim 8 configured to function as a coaxial microwave or RF component.

11. A three-dimensional microstructure, comprising:

a first microstructural element formed of a first material; and

a second microstructural element formed of a second material different from the first material;

a third microstructural element formed of a third material that is different from the second material;

wherein the second microstructural element comprises an anchoring portion embedded in the first microstructural element and contacting the third microstructural element for mechanically locking the first microstructural element to third microstructural element via the second microstructural element

wherein one of the first-third microstructural elements contains a patterned locking portion that mechanically locks the respective element to another of the first to third elements.

12. The microstructure of claim 11 wherein the patterned locking portion comprises an opening through at least one of the first-third elements.

13. The microstructure of claim 11 wherein the first material comprises a metal, the second material comprises a dielectric, and the third material comprises a metal.

14. A three-dimensional microstructure formed by a sequential build process, comprising:

a first microstructural element formed of a first material; and

a second microstructural element formed of a second material different from the first material;

wherein the first or second microstructural element comprises an anchoring portion embedded in the other of the first or second microstructural element for mechanically locking the first microstructural element to the second microstructural element, wherein the anchoring portion includes a change in cross-section so as to provide locking.

15. The microstructure of claim 14 wherein the first material comprises a metal, the second material comprises a dielectric, and the third material comprises a metal.

16. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:

a center conductor having a length;

an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;

one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and

a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,

wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor and wherein the core volume defines a passage having a length,

at least one conductive spoke extending between the central conductor and the outer conductor at each of a plurality of locations where successive locations along the length of the passage are spaced by approximately one-half of a propagation wavelength, or an integral multiple thereof, within the passage for a frequency to be passed by the component,

wherein one or more of the following conditions are met;

(1) the central conductor, the conductive structure, and the conductive spokes are monolithic;

(2) a cross-sectional dimension of the passage perpendicular to a propagation direction of the radiation along the passage is less than about 1 mm, more preferably less than about 0.5 mm, and most preferably less than about 0.25 mm;

(3) more than about 50% of the passage is filled with a gaseous medium, more preferably more than about 70% of the passage is filled with a gaseous medium, and most preferably more than about 90% of the passage is filled with a gaseous medium;

(4) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed by an electrodeposition process;

(5) at least a portion of the conductive portions of the component are formed from a plurality of successively deposited layers;

(6) at least a portion of the passage has a generally rectangular shape;

(7) at least a portion of the central conductor has a generally rectangular shape;

(8) the passage extends along a two-dimensional non-linear path;

(9) the passage extends along a three-dimensional path;

(10) the passage comprises at least one curved region and a side wall of the passage in the curved region has a nominally smaller radius than an opposite side of the passage in the curved region and is provided with a plurality of surface oscillations having smaller radii;

(11) the conductive structure is provided with channels at one or more locations where the electrical field at a surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage, more preferably less than 10% of its maximum value within the passage, even more preferably less than 5% of its maximum value within the passage, and most preferably where the electrical field would have been approximately 0% of its maximum value;

(12) the conductive structure is provided with patches of a different conductive material at one or more locations where the electrical field at the surface of the conductive structure, if it were there, would have been less than about 20% of its maximum value within the passage more preferably less than about 10% of its maximum value within the passage, even more preferably less than about 5% of its maximum value within the passage, and most preferably where the electrical field would have been approximately 0% of its maximum value;

(13) mitered corners are used at least some junctions for segments of the passage that meet at angles between 60° and

120°

; and

/or (14) the conductive spokes are spaced at an integral multiple of one-half the wavelength and bulges on the central conductor or bulges extending from the conductive structure extend into the passage at one or more locations spaced from the conductive spokes by an integral multiple of approximately one-half the wavelength.