Electrochemical Fabrication Methods Incorporating Dielectric Materials and/or Using Dielectric Substrates

Abstract

Some embodiments are directed to techniques for building single layer or multi-layer structures on dielectric or partially dielectric substrates. Certain embodiments deposit seed layer material directly onto substrate materials while others use an intervening adhesion layer material. Some embodiments use different seed layer 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 others apply the materials in blanket fashion. Some embodiments remove extraneous material 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.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A batch process for forming a plurality of multilayer three-dimensional structures, comprising:
 (a) forming and adhering a first layer of material directly or indirectly to a dielectric substrate or to a substrate containing at least one region of dielectric material, wherein the first layer comprises at least one structural material and at least one sacrificial material;   (b) forming and adhering at least one additional layer to a previously formed layer, which may be the first layer or a layer formed subsequent to the forming of the first layer, to build up the plurality of three-dimensional structures from a plurality of adhered layers, wherein each of the at least one additional layers comprises at least one structural material and at least one sacrificial material; and   (c) after formation of the plurality of layers removing the at least one sacrificial material from multiple layers to reveal the plurality of three-dimensional structures;   wherein the formation of the first layer of material additionally comprises:
 (i) depositing an adhesion layer material and/or a seed layer material to form a non-planar coating of which a portion defines a region of the substrate that is to receive an electrodeposition of a selected one of a structural material or of a sacrificial material; 
 (ii) removing, via planarization, the adhesion layer material and/or the seed layer material from an elevated portion of the non-planar coating after deposition of the selected one of the at least one structural material or the at least one sacrificial material; and 
 (iii) planarizing the at least one structural material and the at least one sacrificial material to set a boundary level of the first layer. 
   
     
     
         2 . A batch process for forming a plurality of multilayer three-dimensional structures, comprising:
 (a) forming and adhering a first layer of material directly or indirectly to a substrate, wherein the first layer comprises at least one first sacrificial material and at least one first structural material;   (b) forming and adhering at least one nth layer to a previously formed (n−1)th layer, which may be the first layer or a layer formed subsequent to the first layer, to build up the plurality of three-dimensional structures from a plurality of adhered layers, wherein the at least one nth layer comprises at least one nth sacrificial material and at least one nth structural material; and   (c) after formation of the plurality of layers removing at least one sacrificial material from multiple layers to reveal the plurality of three-dimensional structures;   wherein the formation of the nth layer further comprises:
 (i) depositing an adhesion layer material and/or a seed layer material to form a non-planar coating of which a portion defines a region of the (n−1)th layer that is to receive a deposition of a selected one of the at least one nth sacrificial material or at least one nth structural material; 
 (ii) removing, via planarization, the adhesion layer material and/or the seed layer material from an elevated portion of the non-planar coating after deposition of the selected one of the at least one nth sacrificial material or the at least one nth structural material; and 
 (iii) planarizing the at least one nth structural material and the at least one nth sacrificial material to set a boundary level of the nth layer. 
   
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 2  wherein the nth layer is the second layer and the (n−1)th layer is the first layer. 
     
     
         4 . A batch process for forming a plurality of multilayer three-dimensional structures directly or indirectly on a dielectric substrate, comprising:
 (a) forming and adhering a first layer of material directly or indirectly to a dielectric substrate or to a substrate containing at least one region of dielectric material; and   (b) forming and adhering at least one layer to a previously formed layer to build up the plurality of three-dimensional structures from a plurality of adhered layers;   wherein the formation of the first layer of material comprises:
 (i) depositing a first seed layer material onto the substrate including at least some portions of the substrate that are not to receive a selected one of a structural material and sacrificial material; 
 (ii) depositing a selected one of structural material and sacrificial material onto the first seed layer material over those portions of the substrate that are to receive the selected one of structural material and sacrificial material, wherein the portions that are to receive the selected one are less than all portions of the substrate; 
 (iii) removing portions of the first seed layer material that are not located between the selected one and the substrate or located adjacent to the selected one; 
 (iv) after removing portions of the first seed layer depositing a second seed layer material onto those portions of the substrate that are to receive a non-selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material; 
 (v) depositing the non-selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material onto the second seed layer material over those portions of the substrate that are to receive the non-selected one of structural material and sacrificial material; and 
 (vi) planarizing the deposited selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material and the deposited non-selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material to a height corresponding to a desired thickness of the first layer. 
   
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 4  additionally comprising the deposition of a first adhesion layer material onto at least those areas of the substrate that are to receive the selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5  additionally comprising removing any first adhesion layer material, after removing the portions of the first seed layer material that are not covered by the selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material such that remaining portions of the first adhesion layer material are located only between the first seed layer material and the substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 4  additionally comprising the deposition of a second adhesion layer material, after removing the first seed layer material onto at least those areas of the substrate to receive the non-selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 7  additionally comprising removing any second adhesion layer material that is not covered by the non-selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material such that remaining portions of the second adhesion layer material are located only between the second seed layer material and the substrate. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 7  additionally comprising the deposition of a first adhesion layer material onto at least those areas of the substrate to receive the selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 9  wherein the first adhesion layer material is substantially the same as the second adhesion layer material. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 9  wherein the first adhesion layer material is different from the second adhesion layer material. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 5  wherein the deposition of the first seed layer material locates the material on the first seed layer material on the substrate in regions extending beyond the regions to be occupied by the selected one of the structural material and sacrificial material.