Methods of forming three-dimensional structures having reduced stress and/or curvature

摘要

Electrochemical fabrication processes and apparatus for producing single layer or multi-layer structures where each layer includes the deposition of at least two materials and wherein the formation of at least some layers includes operations for reducing stress and/or curvature distortion when the structure is released from a sacrificial material which surrounded it during formation and possibly when released from a substrate on which it was formed. Six primary groups of embodiments are presented which are divide into eleven primary embodiments. Some embodiments attempt to remove stress to minimize distortion while others attempt to balance stress to minimize distortion.

主权项

1. In a method of forming a multi-layer three-dimensional structure, comprising: (A) forming a plurality of successive layers of the structure with each successive layer adhered to a previously formed layer and with each successive layer comprising at least two materials, one of which is a structural material and the other of which is a sacrificial material, and wherein each successive layer defines a successive cross-section of the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the forming of each of the plurality of successive layers comprises: (i) depositing a first of the at least two materials; (ii) depositing a second of the at least two materials; and (B) after the forming of the plurality of successive layers, separating at least a portion of the sacrificial material from the structural material to reveal the three-dimensional structure, wherein the improvement comprises:
in association with the formation of a given one of the successive layers, depositing a primary structural material in a lateral region of the given one of the successive layers to form at least a majority of the given one of the successive layers in the lateral region, and thereafter planarizing the primary structural material to form a surface of the given one of the successive layers, and thereafter sequentially exposing portions of the surface to selected laser radiation which results in less distortion of the lateral region after the separating than would exist in absence of the exposing.