I want to manufacture 4 micro scaled rectangular boxes by lithography techniques. After lithography process I need to connect these 4 boxes to each other and all of them will be in a distance from each other. It will be a square-like structure (each box on the corners). There will be a linear connection between these boxes made by polymer material. Dimensional sensibility is very vital for me. Which molding technique do you recommend me in this case?
Thanks in advance.
Please, comment what size of these boxes and distance between them? What means the term "linear connection" between boxes?
If you are telling 4 micron scale is the size of rectangular box, I have not come across any molding technique which will give you a part having size in the range of 4 micron or so. That is because the purity and size of the powder for molding is extremely difficult to get for molding at that scale.
Near by process is Micro metal injection molding (MIM), there are a few companies like sadvik who can provide very fine powder but not that your scale
http://www.smt.sandvik.com/en-in/products/metal-powder/micro-mim/
Why do not you use LIGA and make nickle mold and replicate the structure?
Hi Ajay,
I can produce a mold for my design but how do you think of implementing polymer in connections.
Shil'ko I can't give specific values but let's say few microns.
Dear Yusuf,
What I suggest is to incorporate polymer connection at the time of lithography. Assembly or connection at micro scale is extremely difficult. Prepare a mask for lithography which includes 4 microscale rectangular boxes and connections as well. Prepare the mask such a way that you do not need to move boxes. Preparing a mask including features of boxes and connections is much easier than connecting them separately.
Hi Yusuf,
With the limited information you have given, I would think that the easiest thing to do would be to use your lithography to cross-link the polymer. It is very common to use UV activated free radical initiators in a lithographic manner. What I am proposing is to spin a prepolymer/initiator mixture over the entire wafer and then selectively expose the area you want to remain. If the chemistry worked, you should be able to wash away your unexposed film with solvent, leaving only the exposed region.
I hope this helps. Unfortunately, I don't think many of us will be of great help without more details.
After making metallic boxed, polymer structures can be made with soft lithography.Using PDMS or similar polymer mold can used to make UV or thermal cured polymers.
With the limited information, I might even suggest going the other route and first making the polymer structure and then electroplating the metal if feasible. You will of course need a multi step litho process to put down the seed layer and the pattern for the polymer.
I'm having a hard time understanding what you trying to do based on the information you have provided. I think you mean to make 4 micro-scale (sub-mm) metal cubes in specific locations connected by a polymer.
If dimensional stability is vital for you (micron or better), I would suggest a through-mold electroplating process followed by CMP and mold and seed strip rather than molding with a metal powder. There's a pretty detailed fabrication process flow and recipe set that I use in a publication that I've linked below (full text available at the link below on researchgate).
If you want to go that route and have any questions, feel free to email me.
Article Fabrication Process for Thick-Film Micromachined Multi-Pole ...
You can think of using FIB. (focused ion beam) to make structure and then use standard lithographic techniques to quote polymer. I am wondering about the application. Is it that you want to do microfluidic channels? if so, directly etch the connections also by FIB which is a single step process
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