Microchannel Molding: A Soft Lithography-inspired Approach to Micrometer-scale Patterning

Abstract

A new patterning technique for the deposition of sol-gels and chemical solution precursors was developed to address some of the limitations of soft lithography approaches. When using micromolding in capillaries to pattern precursors that exhibit large amounts of shrinkage during drying, topographical distortions develop. In place of patterning the elastomeric mold, the network of capillary channels was patterned directly into the substrate surface and an elastomer membrane is used to complete the channels. When the wetting properties of the substrate surfaces were carefully controlled using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), lead zirconate titanate thin films with nearly rectangular cross-sections were successfully patterned. This technique, called microchannel molding (CM), also provided a method for aligning multiple layers such as bottom electrodes for device fabrication.

Fabrication of SiC-Based Ceramic Microstructures from Preceramic Polymers with Sacrificial Templates and Lithographic Techniques-A Review

“…[39][40][41] There are several variations available that are suited for the direct patterning of polymeric liquids. Microcontact printing m-CP is used for stamping self-assembled monolayers serving as a resist or as functional layers.…”

Lithography-based additive manufacture of ceramic biodevices with design-controlled surface topographies

“…Several strategies for modifying material topographies and surface properties have taken advantage of conventional surface micro-machining [7], laser ablation [8], micro-molding [9], biomimetic templating [10], physical and chemical vapor deposition processes [11], sol-gel procedures [12], and molecular self-assembly [13]. All these processes require enormous hands-on expertise and final result depends on several control parameters, whose interdependencies are normally complex to understand, characterize, model, and master [14].…”

Multi-Channeled Polymeric Microsystem for Studying the Impact of Surface Topography on Cell Adhesion and Motility

“…However, they can be also adjusted and controlled by means of machining processes, chemical etchings, and post-processing tools along the product development cycle. Several strategies for modifying material topographies and surface properties (towards hierarchical materials, structures, and multi-scale devices) have made use of conventional surface micromachining [12], laser ablation [13], micromolding [14], biomimetic templating [15], thin film deposition processes based on physical or chemical vapor deposition [16], sol-gel procedures [17], molecular self-assembly [18], and electro-spinning [19][20][21]. All these procedures require an expertise that is sometimes difficult to achieve and repeatability is not easy [22,23].…”