Micro machining process for forming three dimensional micro structures having sloping and/or profiled side walls.

摘要

The object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional microfabrication method for photolithographic mass-fabrication of three-dimensional microstructures having arbitrarily sloped and/or profiled sidewalls or substructures. The process comprises: locating photo-curable material in a suitable reservoir; dehydrating the photo-curable material (eg by heating); annealing areas forming the upper boundaries of sloped or profiled sidewalls or substructures; providing one or more metal layers masking the areas of the photo-curable material where said material in the micro structure is not required; photolithographically patterning areas to be deformed using polymeric masks; re-heating the material before mechanically disrupting the surface of areas between or enclosed by the annealed areas to form the required sub-structures whilst the photocurable material is cooling; and selectively photopolymerising the regions required for forming the end microstructures.