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Microfabrication Techniques
Microfabrication Techniques
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this presentation, you will be able to: State different types of microfabrication methods Explain the basic principles of various microfabrication techniques Describe the applications of microfabrication
Microfabrication Techniques
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MICROFABRICATION TECHNIQUES
Photolithography Soft lithography Film deposition
Etching
Bonding
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PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY
Photolithography is used to transfer a user generated shape onto a material through the selective exposure of a light sensitive polymer
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY(Contd..)
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PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS
1. Surface preparation
Because of the extreme delicacy of the lithographic process, all surface contaminants such as dust, lint,
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS(Contd..)
2. Resist coating
The photoresist is applied by spin coating The surface is spun rapidly inside a vacuum, while
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS(Contd..)
3. Pre-bake
The surface is heated in a convection oven or through a heated plate placed below the surface
4. Mask alignment
Photomask is a desired pattern that can be transferred onto a surface by means of light waves
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PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS(Contd..)
The mask creates a sort of shadow between the light & the surface Less light passes through sections blocked by the mask
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS(Contd..)
Contact: The mask is in contact with the surface during exposure Proximity: The mask is close but not touching the surface during exposure Projection: The mask is not close to the surface, and the light passing between them is subject to imaging optics
5. Exposure
The photoresist, surface & mask are subjected to UV light via UV lamp
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PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS(Contd..)
6. Development
During the development stage, chemicals are applied to the surface causing either a positive photoresist reaction or a negative photoresist reaction Negative: The molecules in the resist that are subjected to the most UV rays are bonded strongly together in long chains (polymerization). After the subsequent development process, the non-polymerized sections of the resist decompose & only the polymerized resist remains
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PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS(Contd..)
Positive: Opposite of a negative photoresist. Sections of the resist are chemically altered to decompose when exposed to UV light; therefore after the development,
7. Post Bake
The post bake is used to stabilize & harden the photoresist It also removes any trace of development chemicals
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PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS(Contd..)
8. Photoresist Removal/Processing
To remove excess photoresist, simple solvents are used The following cases are the results when the photoresist is applied on top or bottom of the desired surface Etch-back: The photoresist is applied overtop the layer that is wanted to be patterned. The unwanted material is etched away Lift-off: A layer is deposited over top of the photoresist. When the resist is removed, the unwanted layer is also removed
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SOFT LITHOGRAPHY
Soft lithography is a method used to transfer a pattern onto a surface It utilizes a microstructure replica produced by,
SOFT LITHOGRAPHY(Contd..)
PDMS is used in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields because of its biocompatibility, and good thermal, mechanical & optical properties
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SOFT LITHOGRAPHY(Contd..)
There are three main soft lithography processes: micro stamping, stencil patterning, and micro fluidic patterning Microstamping also known as microcontact printing, is based on the construction of a stamp that has the desired pattern with the PDMS mold Molecules to be transferred are placed on the surface of the stamp and printed on a receiving surface upon stamping, thus forming a self assembled monolayer (SAM)
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SOFT LITHOGRAPHY(Contd..)
Depending on the application, peptides, proteins, polysaccharides and other molecules can be stamped
SOFT LITHOGRAPHY(Contd..)
Stencil patterning creates templates by preventing PDMS from covering the master template The end result of this process is a PDMS model with holes in the pattern of the master Different methods can be used to prevent PDMS from covering the master features, such as placing plates against the master following PDMS addition, or adding the PDMS to a thickness smaller than that of the master features
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SOFT LITHOGRAPHY(Contd..)
Microfluidic patterning utilizes a PDMS mold to create microchannels against a substrate These microchannels can then be used to pattern fluid
FILM DEPOSITION
Film deposition consists of the formation of micronthick films on the surface of a substrate Films can play a structural or functional role in the
design
Structural Role: Films may be used during
FILM DEPOSITION(Contd..)
Functional Role: Films may be used as electrical components for a microfabricated device Numerous types of materials are used for the
generation of films
The most commonly used are plastics, silicon
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ETCHING
Etching selectively removes materials from the surface of the micro device by either chemical or physical processes
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ETCHING(Contd..)
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ETCHING(Contd..)
Isotropic etching occurs not only in the direction of depth, but also laterally, and results in a curved profile
ETCHING(Contd..)
Dry anisotropic etching results in a flat profile, while wet anisotropic etching results in cavities with inclined sidewalls
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ETCHING(Contd..)
The crystal structure determines the rate of etching that occurs at each crystal plane For most applications, the flat profile of dry
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BONDING
Bonding adheres substrates together with or without the use of intermediary layers Reversible and irreversible bonds can be formed between microstructures to form tight seals or to obtain desired structures Bonding methods are specific for the material of interest Irreversible anodic bonding is possible between a silicone substrate and a non-pure glass film (400C, high pressure and an electric field needed)
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BONDING(Contd..)
Fusion bonding consists of the annealing of two surfaces at high temperatures (~1000C) Bonding of polymers can be carried out through
APPLICATIONS OF MICROFABRICATION
Helps in studying the interactions of biomaterials with biological systems at the cellular and molecular scale
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THANK YOU
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