Seamless fabrication technique for micro to millimeter structures by combining 3D printing and photolithography

Abstract

This paper proposes a seamless fabrication technique for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices having structures from micrometer to millimeter with a single material by combining 3D printing and photolithography. The proposed fabrication technique combines the fabrication characteristics of 3D printing and photolithography. We fabricated a mold of a microfluidic device having micro- and millimeter structures and evaluated three characteristics of the proposed technique. From the evaluations, the micro- to millimeter structures were seamlessly fabricated with an error within ±5%. The rough surface of the resist transferred from a 3D-printed master mold causes irregular reflection of UV light and reduction in patterning accuracy. The relation of object shape and fabrication of millimeter structures was evaluated. In addition, various advantages of the proposed fabrication technique were confirmed by demonstrating a fluid transportation test for the fabricated microfludic device.