Abstract
Maskless etching approaches such as microdischarges and atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) have been studied recently. Nonetheless, a simple, long lifetime, and efficient maskless etching method is still a challenge. In this work, a separated type maskless etching system based on atmospheric pressure He/O2 plasma jet and microfabricated Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) nozzle have been developed with advantages of simple-structure, flexibility, and parallel processing capacity. The plasma was generated in the glass tube, forming the micron level plasma jet between the nozzle and the surface of polymer. The plasma microjet was capable of removing photoresist without masks since it contains oxygen reactive species verified by spectra measurement. The experimental results illustrated that different features of microholes etched by plasma microjet could be achieved by controlling the distance between the nozzle and the substrate, additive oxygen ratio, and etch time, the result of which is consistent with the analysis result of plasma spectra. In addition, a parallel etching process was also realized by plasma microjets array.
Highlights
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices, especially micro-fluidic devices and bio-MEMS have attracted the attentions of researchers due to the significant potential in fields of biological processing and chemical reactions [1,2]
As one of the key processes for MEMS fabrication, plasma treatments have been widely used in various applications including etching [3], functionalization [4], and surface modification [5,6,7] owing to its cleanliness, reactivity, and high fabrication resolution based on photolithography [8]
A tapered air APPμJs produced by pulling quartz microcapillary has been developed for the removal of Parylene-C films [16,17]; in addition, Masaaki Nagatsu and co-workers have developed an APPμJ system based on ultrafine nanopipette nozzle for sub-micron modification and removal of carbon nanotubes and photoresists [18,19,20]
Summary
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices, especially micro-fluidic devices and bio-MEMS have attracted the attentions of researchers due to the significant potential in fields of biological processing and chemical reactions [1,2]. Dimensions of nozzle array could be micro/nanoscale based on precise microfabrication capacity, which satisfies the requirement of localized etching without mask; (2) plasma microjet array emanating from nozzle array makes high efficiency, large-area maskless etching realizable; (3) since we separate injection components from plasma generation components in our system, it is convenient to replace the nozzle if different size or number of nozzles in the array is needed, which would be conducive to the maintaining and updating the system; (4) since the system operated in ambient air, flexible scanning fabrication can be achieved while integrated with roll-to-roll systems. Plasma microjets array etching process has been studied
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