Laser micromachining and nickel plating of high-aspect-ratio structures in polymer molds

Hengyi Jin; Muralihar K. Ghantasala; Jason P. Hayes; Karlo Jolic; Erol C. Harvey

doi:10.1117/12.418760

16 March 2001 Laser micromachining and nickel plating of high-aspect-ratio structures in polymer molds

Hengyi Jin, Muralihar K. Ghantasala, Jason P. Hayes, Karlo Jolic, Erol C. Harvey

Proceedings Volume 4236, Smart Electronics and MEMS II; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.418760
Event: Smart Materials and MEMS, 2000, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

This paper presents the results of our investigations on the laser micromachining of structures in a dry film photoresist polymer (Dynachem, Laminar AX dry film) laminated on a copper clad Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and (100) Silicon wafer coated with Ti (15nm)/Cu (100 to 4000 nm) and copper seed layers. This study concentrated on investigating and comparing the effect of laser fluence (0.01 to 2 J/cm2) and number of shots (1 to 1000) on the etch characteristics of the Laminar AX dry film on both substrates. The other important aspects that were studied include the minimum required seed layer thickness for electroplating. The removal of the residual polymer layer at the end of the laser micromachining process and its effect on plating characteristics has been studied. The surface quality and roughness of the laser micromachined sites and their effect on the plated Nickel structures were studied in detail. The laser fluence and the number of shots used at this stage affected the conditions of the seed layer, which in turn influenced the plated film growth kinetics. The seed layers with thicknesses less than or equal to 0.8 mm were completely removed when high fluence (> around 1 J/cm2) was used. The seed layer surface after micromachining was characterised using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and profilometer. High Aspect Ratio Structures (HARS) of Nickel were fabricated using the Laminar AX moulds. The highest aspect ratio achieved so far in this work is 6. The characteristics of these structures are discussed in detail.

Citation Download Citation

Hengyi Jin, Muralihar K. Ghantasala, Jason P. Hayes, Karlo Jolic, and Erol C. Harvey "Laser micromachining and nickel plating of high-aspect-ratio structures in polymer molds", Proc. SPIE 4236, Smart Electronics and MEMS II, (16 March 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.418760

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available