Process method of using excimer laser for forming micro spherical and non-spherical polymeric structure array

Abstract

A process method of using excimer laser for forming micro spherical and non-spherical polymeric structure array includes a photomask which has a selected curved pattern formed thereon. The curved pattern has non-constant widths along a straight line direction. An excimer laser beam source is deployed to project through the photomask on a substrate coated with a polymeric material while the substrate is moving in a direction normal to the straight line direction for the polymeric material to receive laser beam projection with different time period. The polymeric material thus may be etched to different depth to form a three dimensional pattern desired. By projecting and etching the polymeric material two times at different directions or through different photomask patterns, a sphere like or non-sphere like surface of micro array structure may be obtained.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A process method of using excimer laser for forming polymeric structure array, comprising: 
 a. preparing a substrate which has a surface coated with a polymeric material, and setting up at least one photomask which has a selected curved pattern formed thereon,    b. deploying an excimer laser beam source to project through the photomask on the polymeric material and moving the substrate along a first corresponding direction for forming a first three dimensional pattern on the polymeric material, and    c. moving the substrate along a second corresponding direction and projecting the laser beam source through the photomask on the first three dimensional pattern to form an etched second three dimensional pattern thereon.    
     
     
         2 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material is a photoresist material.  
     
     
         3 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material is coated on the substrate by means of a process selected from the group consisting of rotary spindle, printing, and chemical deposition.  
     
     
         4 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate.  
     
     
         5 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the curved pattern includes a plurality of transparent geometric zones along a direction normal to the corresponding direction.  
     
     
         6 . The process method of  claim 5 , wherein the transparent geometric zones along the direction normal to the corresponding direction have non-constant widths such that the laser beam source projects through the photomask on the polymeric material when the substrate is moving, the polymeric material receives laser beam source projection with different time period in a direction normal to the corresponding direction to form different degree of etching for forming the three dimensional pattern.  
     
     
         7 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the first corresponding direction is normal to the second corresponding direction.  
     
     
         8 . The process method of  claim 7 , wherein the substrate is turned ninety degree after the step (b) for the laser beam source projecting along the first corresponding direction at the step (c) so that the first corresponding direction be normal to the second corresponding direction.  
     
     
         9 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the curved pattern is same for the step (b) and (c).  
     
     
         10 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the curved pattern at the step (b) is different from that at the step (c).  
     
     
         11 . The process method of  claim 10 , wherein the first corresponding direction is same as the second corresponding direction.  
     
     
         12 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the second three dimensional pattern is sphere-like structure.  
     
     
         13 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the step (c) is followed by the following step: 
 d. clearing polymeric material debris by means of chemical etching process.    
     
     
         14 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the step (c) is followed by the following step: 
 e. performing surface smoothing process on second three dimensional pattern surface.    
     
     
         15 . The process method of  claim 14 , wherein the surface smoothing process is choosing from a group consisting of: high energy beam rapid process, rapid tempering annealing process, and reflow diffusion process done at a temperature lower than the melting point of the polymeric material.  
     
     
         16 . The process method of  claim 1 , wherein the step (c) is followed by the following steps: 
 f. spray plating a seed layer on the substrate and second three dimensional pattern,    g. electroplating a metal layer to a selected thickness on the seed layer, and    h. separating the metal layer from the substrate and second three dimensional pattern for forming a metal mold for pressing micro array structure.    
     
     
         17 . A process method of using excimer laser for forming micro spherical and non-spherical polymeric structure array, comprising: 
 a. preparing a substrate which has a surface coated with a polymeric material, and setting up at least one photomask which has a selected curved pattern formed thereon, the curved pattern having a plurality of transparent zones in selected geographic forms along a straight line direction, the transparent zones having non-constant widths along the straight line direction, and    b. deploying an excimer laser beam source to project through the photomask on the polymeric material and moving the substrate along a first corresponding direction for forming a first three dimensional pattern on the polymeric material.    
     
     
         18 . The process method of  claim 17 , wherein the step (b) is followed by the following step: 
 c. the substrate is turned ninety degree and moved along the first corresponding direction for the laser beam source to projecting through the photomask on the first three dimensional pattern to form a second three dimensional pattern by etching.    
     
     
         19 . The process method of  claim 17 , wherein the curved pattern on the photomask used in the step (b) is different from that in the step (c).  
     
     
         20 . The process method of  claim 17 , wherein the step (b) is followed by the following steps: 
 d. clearing polymeric material debris by means of chemical etching process;    e. performing surface smoothing process on the three dimensional pattern surface.    
     
     
         21 . The process method of  claim 20 , wherein the surface smoothing process is choosing from a group consisting of: reflow diffusionv process done at a temperature lower than the melting point of the polymeric material, high energy beam rapid process, and rapid tempering annealing process.  
     
     
         22 . The process method of  claim 17 , wherein the step (b) is followed by the following steps: 
 f. spray plating a seed layer on the substrate and second three dimensional pattern,    g. electroplating a metal layer to a selected thickness on the seed layer, and    h. separating the metal layer from the substrate and second three dimensional pattern for forming a metal mold for pressing micro array structure.