Fabrication of Polymer Microstructures of Various Angles via Synchrotron X-Ray Lithography Using Simple Dimensional Transformation

Abstract

In this paper, we developed a method of fabricating polymer microstructures at various angles on a single substrate via synchrotron X-ray lithography coupled with simple dimensional transformations. Earlier efforts to create various three-dimensional (3D) features on flat substrates focused on the exposure technology, material properties, and light sources. A few research groups have sought to create microstructures on curved substrates. We created tilted microstructures of various angles by simply deforming the substrate from 3D to two-dimensional (2D). The microstructural inclination angles changed depending on the angles of the support at particular positions. We used convex, concave, and S-shaped supports to fabricate microstructures with high aspect ratios (1:11) and high inclination angles (to 79°). The method is simple and can be extended to various 3D microstructural applications; for example, the fabrication of microarrays for optical components, and tilted micro/nanochannels for biological applications.

Hot Embossing Process Technology Forming Arbitrary Patterns in Real Time

“…Currently, to generate micropatterns on flexible materials, chemical methods such as UV LED lithography, [ 3 ] hybrid soft lithography, [ 4 ] selective‐wetting method, [ 5 ] and X‐ray lithography [ 6 ] are mainly used. In the lithography method, the lithography process can make a precise trench structure from nanoscale to microscale on a polymer film.…”

“…In the lithography method, the lithography process can make a precise trench structure from nanoscale to microscale on a polymer film. [ 3–6 ] Also, the lithography method can control the pattern width and depth of the trench structure. This method can thus adjust the aspect ratio from 0.7 to 7 freely.…”

“…This method can thus adjust the aspect ratio from 0.7 to 7 freely. [ 3–6 ] However, the lithography process requires dedicated equipment for numerous processes, [ 3 ] and the price of this equipment is very high. [ 3–6 ] Also, depending on the process, as many as 7 to 15 process steps are required, which takes a lot of time and money for micropatterning.…”

“…[ 3–6 ] However, the lithography process requires dedicated equipment for numerous processes, [ 3 ] and the price of this equipment is very high. [ 3–6 ] Also, depending on the process, as many as 7 to 15 process steps are required, which takes a lot of time and money for micropatterning. [ 3–6 ] In addition, if the pattern needs to be modified, the existing mask cannot be used.…”

Additive Nano-Lithography with Focused Soft X-rays: Basics, Challenges, and Opportunities

“…XRL, however, is mainly targeting soft matter photoresists that are chemically altered by radiation chemistry and subsequently etched. Furthermore, standard XRL uses relatively large spot sizes and nanostructuring is typically achieved by lithography masks [26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Very few studies have employed the focused beam of a scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM) for maskless direct-write patterning of polymer films [33][34][35][36][37].…”