Fabrication of Ceramic Microstructures via Microcasting of Nanoparticulate Slurry

Fabrication of microstructures has been the subject of considerable attention in recent years. Techniques such as surface silicon micromachining and bulk silicon etch have emerged as practical methods for thin microstructures and processes such as LIGA (an acronym for the German words for lithography, electrodeposition, and molding) are being used to produce high aspect ratio structures from a limited set of electroformable metals and polymers. As microsystem technologies and application prospects continue to grow, it is of interest and much practical value to expand the material choices for LIGA‐scale microstructures to ceramics and a broader class of metals. To this end, this paper investigates a new technique for the fabrication of high aspect ratio ceramic or metal microparts. This technique is based on capillary‐driven microcasting and curing of an epoxy‐based metallic or ceramic nanoparticulate slurry into a sacrificial plastic mold produced by microinjection molding. The cured preform is subsequently heated to remove the organic phase and to sinter the particulate ceramic or metallic phase. The fabrication process is discussed in the paper along with illustration of example microparts produced using the process. A theoretical model of the fluid flow during the microcasting process is developed and validated with experimental data from the fabrication of rectangular rib sections.