Document Detail


Gray-scale photolithography using microfluidic photomasks.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  12574512     Owner:  NLM     Status:  PubMed-not-MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The ability to produce three-dimensional (3D) microstructures is of increasing importance in the miniaturization of mechanical or fluidic devices, optical elements, self-assembling components, and tissue-engineering scaffolds, among others. Traditional photolithography, the most widely used process for microdevice fabrication, is ill-suited for 3D fabrication, because it is based on the illumination of a photosensitive layer through a "photomask" (a transparent plate that contains opaque, unalterable solid-state features), which inevitably results in features of uniform height. We have devised photomasks in which the light-absorbing features are made of fluids. Unlike in conventional photomasks, the opacity of the photomask features can be tailored to an arbitrary number of gray-scale levels, and their spatial pattern can be reconfigured in the time scale of seconds. Here we demonstrate the inexpensive fabrication of photoresist patterns that contain features of multiple and/or smoothly varying heights. For a given microfluidic photomask, the developed photoresist pattern can be predicted as a function of the dye concentrations and photomask dimensions. For selected applications, microfluidic photomasks offer a low-cost alternative to present gray-scale photolithography approaches.
Authors:
Chihchen Chen; Danny Hirdes; Albert Folch
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2003-02-06
Journal Detail:
Title:  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America     Volume:  100     ISSN:  0027-8424     ISO Abbreviation:  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.     Publication Date:  2003 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2003-02-19     Completed Date:  2003-04-01     Revised Date:  2010-09-14    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7505876     Medline TA:  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1499-504     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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