Claims
- 1. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing an electrode that functions as an anode; providing a substrate that functions as a cathode; providing an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode; providing a current source controllably connected to the anode and cathode; providing a mask that comprises an at least partially conformable material, the mask having at least one opening extending through the conformable material wherein the opening is defined by mask sidewalls and wherein the opening defines a mask pattern, the conformable portion of the mask also having a face surface; pressing the face surface of the mask against the substrate; after pressing, activating the current source to cause deposition of a first material onto the substrate in a deposition pattern that is at least in part dictated by the pattern of the mask, wherein the deposition comprises deposition sidewalls; after said activating, relatively moving the face surface of the mask away from the substrate by a distance that is less than a distance that would cause separation of the mask sidewalls from the deposition sidewalls, and continuing application of the current so as to allow a height of the deposition to increase; and deviating a shape of the deposition such that the deposition has tapering sidewalls.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the deviating of the shape of the deposition occurs prior to completing the depositing that results in a full height of the deposition.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the deviating of the shape occurs by varying the dimensions of the at least one opening defined by the mask sidewalls.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the deviating is at least in part accomplished by varying the temperature of at least a portion of the conformable portion of the mask.
- 5. The method of claim 2 wherein the deviating of the shape occurs by progressively immersing the deposition into a chemical etchant such that portions immersed for longer periods of time are more deeply etched than portions immersed for shorter periods of time.
- 6. The method of claim 2 wherein the deviating of the shape occurs by progressively immersing the deposition into an electrochemically active etchant wherein the deposition is treated as an anode in relation to a separate cathode wherein portions that undergo longer periods of electrochemical etching are etched more deeply than portions that undergo shorter or less intense periods of electrochemical etching.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the deviating of the shape occurs at least in part by performing an etching operation.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the deviating occurs after completing the depositing that results in a height of the deposition reaching a final height.
- 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the etching operation comprises immersing at least a portion of the deposition into a chemical etchant.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein each portion of the deposition is immersed into the etchant for a period of time that varies over the height of the deposition such that a tapering of the sidewalls of the deposition results.
- 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the immersion occurs at a rate that is slower than a rate of withdrawal.
- 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the immersion occurs at a rate that is faster than a rate of withdrawal.
- 13. The method of claim 10 wherein the immersion occurs at a rate that is substantially equivalent to a rate of withdrawal.
- 14. The method of claim 9 wherein after immersion in the etchant, the deposition is rinsed to remove any residual etchant.
- 15. The method claim 1 wherein the tapering provides a deposition that is larger near the substrate and smaller away from the substrate.
- 16. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing an anode; providing a substrate that functions as a cathode; providing an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode; providing a current source controllably connected to the anode and cathode; providing a mask that comprises an at least partially conformable material, the mask having at least one opening extending through the conformable material wherein the opening is defined by mask sidewalls and wherein the opening defines a mask pattern, the conformable portion of the mask also having a face surface; pressing the face surface of the mask against the substrate; after pressing, activating the current source to cause deposition of a first material onto the substrate in a deposition pattern that is at least in part dictated by the pattern of the mask, wherein the deposition comprises deposition sidewalls; after said activating, relatively moving the face surface of the mask away from the substrate by a distance that is less than a distance that would cause separation of the mask sidewalls from the deposition sidewalls, and continuing application of the current so as to allow a height of the deposition to increase; and after an initial separating of the mask and the substrate, locating a liquid within a region between the mask and substrate such that any residual electrolyte that remains or leaks between the sidewalls of the mask and the sidewalls of the deposition is diluted or removed such that deposition onto the substrate within the region is eliminated or at least held to a tolerable level.
- 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the liquid within the region is agitated.
- 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the liquid within the region is made to flow.
- 19. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing an anode; providing a substrate that functions as a cathode; providing an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode; providing a current source controllably connected to the anode and cathode; providing a mask that comprises an at least partially conformable material, the mask having at least one opening extending through the conformable material wherein the opening is defined by mask sidewalls and wherein the opening defines a mask pattern, the conformable portion of the mask also having a face surface; pressing the face surface of the mask against the substrate; after pressing, activating the current source to cause deposition of a first material onto the substrate in a deposition pattern that is at least in part dictated by the pattern of the mask, wherein the deposition comprises deposition sidewalls; after said activating, relatively moving the face surface of the mask away from the substrate by a distance that is less than a distance that would cause separation of the mask sidewalls from the deposition sidewalls, and continuing application of the current so as to allow a height of the deposition to increase; and after an initial separating of the mask and the substrate, depositing a second material onto the substrate and adjacent to the deposited first material.
- 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first material and second material are deposited, at least in part, simultaneously or through a plurality of alternating depositions.
- 21. The method of claim 19 wherein the first material comprises copper and the second material comprises nickel.
- 22. The method of claim 20 wherein the copper deposition and nickel deposition are planarized to have similar heights.
- 23. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing an electrode that functions as an anode; providing a substrate that functions as a cathode; providing an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode; providing a current source controllably connected to the anode and cathode; providing a mask that comprises an at least partially conformable material, the mask having at least one opening extending through the conformable material wherein the opening is defined by mask sidewalls and wherein the opening defines a mask pattern, the conformable portion of the mask also having a face surface; pressing the face surface of the mask against the substrate; after pressing, activating the current source to cause deposition of a first material onto the substrate in a deposition pattern that is at least in part dictated by the pattern of the mask, wherein the deposition comprises deposition sidewalls; and after said activating, relatively moving the face surface of the mask away from the substrate by a distance that is less than a distance that would cause separation of the mask sidewalls from the deposition sidewalls, and continuing application of the current so as to allow a height of the deposition to increase; interrupting the application of the current that increases the deposition height; etching a portion of the first material from the substrate during the interruption and then continuing application of a current that increases the deposition height.
- 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the etching is initiated by applying an anodic potential to the substrate and conducting a current between the substrate and a cathode.
- 25. The method of claim 23 wherein depositing and etching are alternated a plurality of times.
- 26. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing an electrode that functions as an anode; providing a substrate that functions as a cathode; providing an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode; providing a current source controllably connected to the anode and cathode; providing a mask that comprises an at least partially conformable material, the mask having at least one opening extending through the conformable material wherein the opening is defined by mask sidewalls and wherein the opening defines a mask pattern, the conformable portion of the mask also having a face surface; pressing the face surface of the mask against the substrate; after pressing, activating the current source to cause deposition of a first material onto the substrate in a deposition pattern that is at least in part dictated by the pattern of the mask, wherein the deposition comprises deposition sidewalls; and after said activating, relatively moving the face surface of the mask away from the substrate by a distance that is less than a distance that would cause separation of the mask sidewalls from the deposition sidewalls, and continuing application of the current so as to allow a height of the deposition to increase; wherein the mask further comprises a support structure which is adhered to the conformable material and through which the at least one opening extends, wherein a cross-sectional dimension of at least one narrowed opening through at least a portion of the support structure is smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the narrowed opening through the conformable material; wherein a height of deposition, relative to the support structure, within the at least one narrowed opening, is, at least in part, ascertained by detecting a change of an electrical property.
- 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the electric property comprises a change in voltage between the anode and cathode.
- 28. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing an electrode that functions as an anode; providing a substrate that functions as a cathode; providing an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode; providing a current source controllably connected to the anode and cathode; providing a mask that comprises an at least partially conformable material, the mask having at least one opening extending through the conformable material wherein the opening is defined by mask sidewalls and wherein the opening defines a mask pattern, the conformable portion of the mask also having a face surface; pressing the face surface of the mask against the substrate; after pressing, activating the current source to cause deposition of a first material onto the substrate in a deposition pattern that is at least in part dictated by the pattern of the mask, wherein the deposition comprises deposition sidewalls; and after said activating, relatively moving the face surface of the mask away from the substrate by a distance that is less than a distance that would cause separation of the mask sidewalls from the deposition sidewalls, and continuing application of the current so as to allow a height of the deposition to increase; detecting a first electrical parameter whose value depends on a location of a deposit within the opening.
- 29. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising detecting a second electrical parameter whose value depends on a location of a deposit within the opening.
- 30. The method of claim 29 wherein the first electrical parameter indicates whether or not the deposit extends too deep into the opening and the second electrical parameter indicates whether or not the deposit extends at least a minimum acceptable depth into the opening.
- 31. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electrical parameter comprises a voltage difference between the substrate and a conductor positioned at a first level of an opening in the mask.
- 32. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electrical parameter comprises a voltage difference between the anode and a conductor positioned at a first level of an opening in the mask.
- 33. The method of claim 1 wherein detection of selected values of the electrical parameter influence movement between the mask and the substrate.
- 34. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing a substrate from which a pattern protrudes, where the pattern has pattern sidewalls and the substrate has a face surface that is approximately perpendicular to the sidewalls; providing a mask, having a pattern, wherein the mask comprises a masking material and at least one opening therein, wherein the masking material has a face surface that is substantially parallel to the face of the substrate and wherein the masking material surrounding the opening forms mask sidewalls; mating the mask sidewalls with the pattern sidewalls without mating the face surface of the masking material with the face surface of the substrate and then depositing a first material through the opening onto the substrate; and deviating a shape of the deposition such that the deposition has tapering sidewalls.
- 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the deposition of the first material through the opening is accompanied by simultaneous increasing or non-simultaneous, intermittent increasing of a separation of the face surface of the mask from the face surface of the substrate.
- 36. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing a substrate from which a pattern protrudes, where the pattern has pattern sidewalls and the substrate has a face surface that is approximately perpendicular to the sidewalls; providing a mask, having a pattern, wherein the mask comprises a masking material and at least one opening therein, wherein the masking material has a face surface that is substantially parallel to the face of the substrate and wherein the masking material surrounding the opening forms mask sidewalls; mating the mask sidewalls with the pattern sidewalls without mating the face surface of the masking material with the face surface of the substrate and then depositing a first material through the opening onto the substrate; and after an initial separating of the mask and the substrate, locating a liquid within a region between the mask and substrate such that any residual electrolyte that remains or leaks between the sidewalls of the mask and the sidewalls of the deposition is diluted or removed such that deposition onto the substrate within the region is eliminated or at least held to a tolerable level.
- 37. The method of claim 36 wherein the deposition of the first material through the opening is accompanied by simultaneous increasing or non-simultaneous, intermittent increasing of a separation of the face surface of the mask from the face surface of the substrate.
- 38. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing a substrate from which a pattern protrudes, where the pattern has pattern sidewalls and the substrate has a face surface that is approximately perpendicular to the sidewalls; providing a mask, having a pattern, wherein the mask comprises of a masking material and at least one opening therein, wherein the masking material has a face surface that is substantially parallel to the face of the substrate and wherein the masking material surrounding the opening forms mask sidewalls; mating the mask sidewalls with the pattern sidewalls without mating the face surface of the masking material with the face surface of the substrate and then depositing a first material through the opening onto the substrate; and after an initial separating of the mask and the substrate, depositing a second deposition material onto the substrate and adjacent the deposited first material and within a region between the mask and the substrate.
- 39. The method of claim 38 wherein the deposition of material through the opening is accompanied by simultaneous increasing or non-simultaneous, intermittent increasing of a separation of the face surface of the mask from the face surface of the substrate.
- 40. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing a substrate from which a pattern protrudes, where the pattern has pattern sidewalls and the substrate has a face surface that is approximately perpendicular to the sidewalls; providing a mask, having a pattern, wherein the mask comprises of a masking material and at least one opening therein, wherein the masking material has a face surface that is substantially parallel to the face of the substrate and wherein the masking material surrounding the opening forms mask sidewalls; mating the mask sidewalls with the pattern sidewalls without mating the face surface of the masking material with the face surface of the substrate and then depositing a first material through the opening onto the substrate; and interrupting the application of current that increases the deposition height; etching a portion of the first material from the substrate during the interruption and then continuing application of a current that increases the deposition height.
- 41. The method of claim 40 wherein the etching is initiated by applying an anodic potential to the substrate and conducting a current between the substrate and a cathode.
- 42. The method of claim 40 wherein depositing and etching are alternated a plurality of times.
- 43. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing a substrate from which a pattern protrudes, where the pattern has pattern sidewalls and the substrate has a face surface that is approximately perpendicular to the sidewalls; providing a mask, having a pattern, wherein the mask comprises a masking material and at least one opening therein, wherein the masking material has a face surface that is substantially parallel to the face of the substrate and wherein the masking material surrounding the opening forms mask sidewalls; mating the mask sidewalls with the pattern sidewalls without mating the face surface of the masking material with the face surface of the substrate and then depositing a first material through the opening onto the substrate; and wherein the mask material comprises a conformable material and a support structure through which the at least one opening extends, wherein a cross-sectional dimension of at least one narrowed opening through at least a portion of the support structure is smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the narrowed opening through the conformable material; and wherein a height of deposition, relative to the support structure, within the at least one narrowed opening is at least in part ascertained by detecting a change of an electrical property.
- 44. The method of claim 43 wherein the electric property comprises a change in voltage between an anode and a cathode that are used in the depositing of the first material.
- 45. A method of producing a three-dimensional structure, comprising:
providing a substrate from which a pattern protrudes, where the pattern has pattern sidewalls and the substrate has a face surface that is approximately perpendicular to the sidewalls; providing a mask, having a pattern, wherein the mask comprises of a masking material and at least one opening therein, wherein the masking material has a face surface that is substantially parallel to the face of the substrate and wherein the masking material surrounding the opening forms mask sidewalls; mating the mask sidewalls with the pattern sidewalls without mating the face surface of the masking material with the face surface of the substrate and then depositing a first material through the opening onto the substrate; and detecting a first electrical parameter whose value depends on a location of a deposit within the opening.
- 46. The method of claim 45 additionally comprising detecting a second electrical parameter whose value depends on a location of a deposit within the opening.
- 47. The method of claim 46 wherein the first electrical parameter indicates whether or not the deposit extends too deep into the opening and the second electrical parameter indicates whether or not the deposit extends at least a minimum acceptable depth into the opening.
- 48. The method of claim 45 wherein the first electrical parameter comprises a voltage difference between the substrate and a conductor positioned at a first level of an opening in the mask.
- 49. The method of claim 45 wherein the first electrical parameter comprises a voltage difference between the anode and a conductor positioned at a first level of an opening in the mask.
- 50. The method of claim 45 wherein detection of selected values of the electrical parameter influence movement between the mask and the substrate.
RELATED CASES
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/329,654 which was filed on Oct. 15, 2001 and which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60329654 |
Oct 2001 |
US |