Abstract
The electrochemical micromanufacturing process, as a key micromanufacturing technology, plays an important role in diverse industries. In this paper, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is employed as a mask in the electrochemical micromanufacture of microstructures because of its chemical resistance, low cost, flexibility, and high molding capability. A new method for fabricating a PDMS micro through-holes mask is proposed. In this method, a thin resist film is employed to enhance the adhesion between the substrate and the SU-8 pillar array which is used as a mold. A vacuum-aided process is used to inject the PDMS gel into the SU-8 mold and the PDMS micro through-holes mask can be peeled off from the SU-8 mold when the gel is cured. Experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach and PDMS microholes of various shapes were obtained. The PDMS mask can then be successfully applied in the electrochemical micromanufacturing process to generate microstructures and microdimple and embossment arrays have been successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, the PDMS mask can be reused, as it is not damaged during the manufacturing process.
Highlights
In the past few years, the fabrication of metallic microstructures has rapidly increased due to demand for different applications such as sensors, medical devices, and micromachines [1,2,3]
A new process for fabricating a PDMS mask with micro through-holes is proposed, in which the PDMS gel is rapidly injected into the channel between the SU-8 mold and the substrate using a vacuum-aided process
At the step, because of the good adhesion, when the PDMS through-hole mask is peeled off the SU-8 mold, the micropillar array will remain on the substrate, avoiding pillar-blocking of the PDMS micro through-holes
Summary
In the past few years, the fabrication of metallic microstructures has rapidly increased due to demand for different applications such as sensors, medical devices, and micromachines [1,2,3]. The process of photolithography is complex, and the photoresist coating is only a one-time mask and must be removed from the workpiece after micromachining. Choi et al presented a process for fabricating PDMS micro through-holes by a method of capillary micromolding [10]. In this method, a PDMS master mold with micropillars is cast from a corresponding SU-8 mold. A new process for fabricating a PDMS mask with micro through-holes is proposed, in which the PDMS gel is rapidly injected into the channel between the SU-8 mold and the substrate using a vacuum-aided process. The presented method might fabricate PDMS through-holes mask without expensive equipment and complex processes. Using the PDMS mask, a microstructure array is successfully generated by electrochemical micromanufacturing
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