摘要:
Some embodiments of the present invention provide processes and apparatus for electrochemically fabricating multilayer structures (e.g. mesoscale or microscale structures) with improved endpoint detection and parallelism maintenance for materials (e.g. layers) that are planarized during the electrochemical fabrication process. Some methods involve the use of a fixture during planarization that ensures that planarized planes of material are parallel to other deposited planes within a given tolerance. Some methods involve the use of an endpoint detection fixture that ensures precise heights of deposited materials relative to an initial surface of a substrate, relative to a first deposited layer, or relative to some other layer formed during the fabrication process. In some embodiments planarization may occur via lapping while other embodiments may use a diamond fly cutting machine.
摘要:
Electrochemical fabrication methods for forming single and multilayer mesoscale and microscale structures include the use of diamond machining (e.g. fly cutting or turning) to planarize layers. Some embodiments focus on systems of sacrificial and structural materials which can be diamond machined with minimal tool wear (e.g. Ni—P and Cu, Au and Cu, Cu and Sn, Au and Cu, Au and Sn, and Au and Sn—Pb). Some embodiments provide for reducing tool wear when using difficult-to-machine materials by (1) depositing difficult to machine materials selectively and potentially with little excess plating thickness and/or (2) pre-machining depositions to within a small increment of desired surface level (e.g. using lapping) and then using diamond fly cutting to complete the process, and/or (3) forming structures or portions of structures from thin walled regions of hard-to-machine material as opposed to wide solid regions of structural material.
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.
摘要:
Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to techniques for building up single layer or multi-layer structures on dielectric or partially dielectric substrates. Certain embodiments deposit seed layer material directly onto substrate materials while other embodiments use an intervening adhesion layer material. Some embodiments use different seed layer materials and/or adhesion layer materials for sacrificial and structural conductive building materials. Some embodiments apply seed layer and/or adhesion layer materials in what are effectively selective manners while other embodiments apply the materials in blanket fashion. Some embodiments remove extraneous depositions (e.g. depositions to regions unintended to form part of a layer) via planarization operations while other embodiments remove the extraneous material via etching operations. Other embodiments are directed to the electrochemical fabrication of multilayer mesoscale or microscale structures which are formed using at least one conductive structural material, at least one conductive sacrificial material, and at least one dielectric material. In some embodiments the dielectric material is a UV-curable photopolymer.
摘要:
Some embodiments of the present invention provide processes and apparatus for electrochemically fabricating multilayer structures (e.g. mesoscale or microscale structures) with improved endpoint detection and parallelism maintenance for materials (e.g. layers) that are planarized during the electrochemical fabrication process. Some methods involve the use of a fixture during planarization that ensures that planarized planes of material are parallel to other deposited planes within a given tolerance. Some methods involve the use of an endpoint detection fixture that ensures precise heights of deposited materials relative to an initial surface of a substrate, relative to a first deposited layer, or relative to some other layer formed during the fabrication process. In some embodiments planarization may occur via lapping while other embodiments may use a diamond fly cutting machine.
摘要:
The present invention relates generally to the field of micro-scale or millimeter scale devices and to the use of multi-layer multi-material electrochemical fabrication methods for producing such devices with particular embodiments relate to shredding devices and more particularly to shredding devices for use in medical applications. In some embodiments, tissue removal devices are used in procedures to removal spinal tissue and in other embodiments, similar devices are used to remove thrombus from blood vessel.
摘要:
Some embodiments of the present invention provide processes and apparatus for electrochemically fabricating multilayer structures (e.g. mesoscale or microscale structures) with improved endpoint detection and parallelism maintenance for materials (e.g. layers) that are planarized during the electrochemical fabrication process. Some methods involve the use of a fixture during planarization that ensures that planarized planes of material are parallel to other deposited planes within a given tolerance. Some methods involve the use of an endpoint detection fixture that ensures precise heights of deposited materials relative to an initial surface of a substrate, relative to a first deposited layer, or relative to some other layer formed during the fabrication process. In some embodiments planarization may occur via lapping while other embodiments may use a diamond fly cutting machine.
摘要:
Embodiments of invention are directed to the formation of microprobes (i.e. compliant electrical or electronic contact elements) on a temporary substrate, dicing individual probe arrays, and then transferring the arrays to space transformers or other permanent substrates. Some embodiments of the invention transfer probes to permanent substrates prior to separating the probes from a temporary substrate on which the probes were formed while other embodiments do the opposite. Some embodiments, remove sacrificial material prior to transfer while other embodiments remove sacrificial material after transfer. Some embodiments are directed to the bonding of first and second electric components together using one or more solder bumps with enhanced aspect ratios (i.e. height to width ratios) obtained as a result of surrounding the bumps at least in part with rings of a retention material. The retention material may act be a solder mask material.
摘要:
Electrochemical fabrication methods for forming single and multilayer mesoscale and microscale structures are disclosed which include the use of diamond machining (e.g. fly cutting or turning) to planarize layers. Some embodiments focus on systems of sacrificial and structural materials which are useful in Electrochemical fabrication and which can be diamond machined with minimal tool wear (e.g. Ni—P and Cu, Au and Cu, Cu and Sn, Au and Cu, Au and Sn, and Au and Sn—Pb), where the first material or materials are the structural materials and the second is the sacrificial material). Some embodiments focus on methods for reducing tool wear when using diamond machining to planarize structures being electrochemically fabricated using difficult-to-machine materials (e.g. by depositing difficult to machine material selectively and potentially with little excess plating thickness, and/or pre-machining depositions to within a small increment of desired surface level (e.g. using lapping or a rough cutting operation) and then using diamond fly cutting to complete he process, and/or forming structures or portions of structures from thin walled regions of hard-to-machine material as opposed to wide solid regions of structural material.
摘要:
A system is provided for the automated imaging of a succession of microscope slides (S). The slides are mounted in carriers and loaded into cassettes. Slide carriers from a first cassette in a slide loader (2) are ejected from the cassette into a loading station and thence moved by an actuator onto a stage beneath a microscope objective (6) which images a sub-area of a circular sample area on the slide onto an imaging sensor (10) whence images are digitized and stored. The stage (4) is conjointly rotated by a motor (22) as a carrier (24) for the stage is moved linearly, so as to execute a spiral scan of sub-areas of the sample area which sub-areas are successively imaged using a strobe lamp (12) to illuminate the sample area at intervals during the scan determined by signals from an encoder (25). A preliminary scan, which may be in an opposite direction along the spiral, may be used to obtain, for a focus actuator (18), focusing data used during the scan. As a following slide carrier is loaded onto the stage for scanning, the previous slide carrier is ejected into a chute from which an actuator inserts it into a further cassette in the same orientation in which it left the first cassette.