Below are examples of patented technologies that can be obtained from us under a license, an NDA or other mutual agreement :
Micro-machining process for forming three dimensional structures having sloping and/or profiled sidewalls.
Many techniques in the field of MEMS can achieve three dimensional structures in micron scale. Among these techniques are microstereolithography and gray-scale lithography. These techniques are well known, but they cannot be implemented without a specialized piece of equipment.
Now, we have developed another microfabrication technology allowing microstructures with sloping sidewalls to be fabricated with only standard lithograhical processing equipment. In this technology, a 3D microstructure is considered as an assembly of multiple substructures connected to each other, each having differently profiled sidewall. The sidewalls are formed by stamping a pre-polymerized photo-curable material at an elevated temperature. The sidewall profiles are shaped in batch mode by changing the speed of stamping during a cooling process. Under a photo-curing light, the stamped sidewalls are then selectively photo-polymerized to form the required 3D microstructures.
Photolithographical microfabrication of hollow three dimensional structures with profiled sidewalls
Hollow plastic parts are usually made by injecting molding, whereby plastic resins are melt and injected into cavity of a mold by a reciprocating screw or a ram injector. Although injection molding is very common, it is not appropriate for fabricating ultra-small hollow parts with sub-millimetre resolution.
Now, we have developed another technology which enables hollow structures to be fabricated photolithographically. This technology is particularly suitable for making micro parts embedded with cavities. The technology features the use of preferential surface photo-polymerization to form suspended shells over a selected area. The final structures fabricated in this technology can be:
* hollow or having suspended shell(s); * installed on a substrate or lift-off from a substrate; * conical, spherical, etc and etc; * with areas ranging from a few microns to a few centimeters;
System and apparatus for fabricating 3D microstructures
In our technologies, proof-of-concept prototypes can be fabricated using standard lithographical processing equipment such as mask-aligner, spin coater, oven, etc, etc. However, without a specialized piece of equipment, the proof-of-concept prototypes that can be fabricated fall short of precision. To further improve the precision, we have developed a dedicated system for fabricating 3D microstructures with resolution in the order of one micron. Our system can be used as a standard mask-aligner, excepting that it further provides a heating device and a piezo-electrically driven stamper to allow 3D components to be shaped in micron scale.
Please do not hesistate to contact us if you would like to investigate if your business could make good use of these technologies. You can click on the "Contact Us" button on the left side of this page.