Towards Personal Fabricators: Tabletop tools for micron and sub-micron scale functional rapid prototyping

Three tools for the rapid prototyping of micron and sub-micron scale devices are presented. These tools represent methods for the manufacture of PEMS, or Printed micro Electro Mechanical Systems, and are enabled because they exploit the novel properties of nanocrystalline materials and their interactions with energetic beams. UV contact mask lithography was used to directly pattern metallic nanocrystals on glass and polyimide surfaces without vacuum or etching processes or the use of photoresist layers. Direct electron beam lithography of nanocrystalline metals was used to pattern multiple layer, multiple material, structures with minimum feature sizes of 100nm. Finally a micro-mirror array based selective laser sintering apparatus was built for the rapid, maskless patterning of PEMS. This tool was used to directly pattern metal structures, and for the rapid manufacture of elastomeric stamps for "nano embossing". Minimum feature sizes under 10 microns were achieved and routes to 2 micron features described. Processing time was reduced to hours from the weeks for traditional photomask / photolithography based systems. These tools are examined in the greater context of rapid prototyping technologies.