Nano/microfabrication of three-dimensional device structures using a multilayered mould approach

Abstract

There is growing interest in the development of fabrication techniques to cost effectively mass-produced high-resolution (micro/nano) three-dimensional structures in a range of materials. Biomedical applications are particularly significant. This work demonstrates how to fabricate simultaneously a sacrificial mould having the inverse shape of the desired device structure and also create the desired device structure using electrodeposition techniques. The mould is constructed of many thin layers using a photo-resist material that is dissolvable and sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light. At the same time the device is created in the emerging mould layers using gold electrodeposition technique. Choosing to fabricate the mould and the three-dimensional structures in multiple thin layers allows for the use of UV light and permits the potential cost-effective realization of three-dimensional curved surfaces, the accuracy and geometric details of which are related to the number of layers used. An example is provided to explain the novel fabrication process and to outline the resulting design and fabrication constraints.