Apr. 9, 2015 | By Simon
It should come with little surprise that as existing technologies such as computer chips and materials are being increasingly manufactured at nanoscale-sizes, so too are additive manufacturing processes.
Recently, a research team at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) led by Professor Shin-Hyun Kim have developed a new type of photolithographic technology that utilizes oxygen diffusion to take control over functional shapes of micropatterns.
Also refereed to as optical lithography or UV lithography, photolithography shares some of the same fundamental principles as photography in which patterns are projected after being exposed to light. It is a standard process for transferring micropatterns on to a substrate through exposing regions of the photoresist layer and is used widely in the semiconductor industry to manufacture computer chips.
Similar to how the silk-screening process works for transferring different colored ink onto t-shirts, posters and other printed objects, traditional photolithography techniques rely on photomasks to protect regions of the substrate from the exposed light. Areas that are covered by masked areas remain intact with the bottom layer whereas areas that have been exposed to the light are washed away and ultimately create the final micropattern.
Previously, this technology has been limited to two-dimensional designs due to boundaries between the exposed and roofed regions being in a parallel arrangement with the direction of the light source.
However through the photolithographic research conducted by Professor Kim and his research team at KAIST, they discovered areas exposed to UV light lowered the concentration of oxygen which resulted in oxygen diffusion and the manipulation of the diffusion speed and direction allowed control of the overall growth, shape and size of the polymers.
As a result of their research, the team has create a new technology based on photolithographic principles that enables the production of micropatterns with three-dimensional structures through exploiting the presence of oxygen. The difference in the concentrations of oxygen used in the process caused a diffusion of oxygen to the region under the UV light. Ultimately, the use of inhibitors in the process enabled the fabrication of complex and three-dimensional micropatterns.
The new technology that was founded by Professor Kim and his team of talented researchers will be used to enhance the manufacturing process of three-dimensional polymers that have previously been considered too difficult to be produced for commercial purposes.
“While 3D printing is considered an innovative manufacturing technology, it cannot be used for mass-production of microscopic products,” said Professor Kim.
“The new photolithographic technology will have a broad impact on both the academia and industry especially because existing, conventional photolithographic equipment can be used for the development of more complex micropatterns.”
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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