Commercial plexiglass mirrors and MEMS: new approach toward low cost polymer microsystems

A. Khosla; B. L. Gray

doi:10.1117/12.876592

14 February 2011 Commercial plexiglass mirrors and MEMS: new approach toward low cost polymer microsystems

A. Khosla, B. L. Gray

Proceedings Volume 7926, Micromachining and Microfabrication Process Technology XVI; 79260A (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.876592
Event: SPIE MOEMS-MEMS, 2011, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

This paper presents a new approach to fabricate low cost metallization on PMMA substrates based on commercially available Mirrored-Extruded Acrylic (mirrored Plexiglass / mirrored PMMA). The patterned metal could be subsequently employed as a mask for deep-UV PMMA micropatterning of polymer-MEMS devices. The process presented eliminates the use of sputtered metals and can be scaled up to substrates of sizes 12 inch × 24 inch or larger for batch fabrication. Mirrored Extruded Acrylic has a coating of 6 micron thick vacuum metalized aluminum or copper with an adhesive backing. We have discovered that the adhesive backing can be easily etched away by using ethanol, exposing the aluminum or copper, which can be micropatterned by standard photolithographic processes. We have fabricated various microstructures in aluminum, including microelectrodes and Van de Paw structures. Resistivity measurements show that the resistivity of the micro-machined aluminum is equal to lower than 4.8 × 10^-6 Ω-m, which is sufficient for sensor electrodes or signal routing applications for MEMS/ MST devices.

Citation Download Citation

A. Khosla and B. L. Gray "Commercial plexiglass mirrors and MEMS: new approach toward low cost polymer microsystems", Proc. SPIE 7926, Micromachining and Microfabrication Process Technology XVI, 79260A (14 February 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.876592

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