Method for fabricating miniature structures or devices such as RF and microwave components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9620834-B2
Application number	US-201414194592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2014
Priority date	Dec 3, 2001
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

Multi-layer, multi-material fabrication methods include depositing at least one structural material and at least one sacrificial material during the formation of each of a plurality of layers wherein deposited materials for each layer are planarized to set a boundary level for the respective layer and wherein during formation of at least one layer at least three materials are deposited with a planarization operation occurring before deposition of the last material to set a planarization level above the layer boundary level and wherein a planarization occurs after deposition of the last material level above the layer boundary level and wherein a planarization occurs after deposition of the last material whereby the boundary level for the layer is set. Some formation processes use electrochemical fabrication techniques (e.g. including selective depositions, bulk depositions, etching operations and planarization operations) and post-deposition processes (e.g. selective etching operations and/or back filling operations).

First claim

We claim:

1. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:
a center conductor having a length;
an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;
a substrate to which the outer conductor connects;
one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and
a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,
wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor.

2. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:
a center conductor having a length;
an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;
one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and
a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,
wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor, and
wherein the outer conductor comprises a plurality of stacked planar layers.

3. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:
a center conductor;
an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;
one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and
a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,
wherein the outer conductor is monolithic and comprises a plurality of planar layers.

4. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:
a center conductor having a length;
an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;
one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and
a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,
wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,
wherein the outer conductor further comprises a conductive base to which the walls connect and wherein the conductive base is located below the central conductor.

5. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:
a center conductor having a length;
an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;
one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and
a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,
wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,
wherein the outer conductor further comprises a conductive top to which the walls connect and wherein the conductive top is located above the central conductor.

6. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:
a center conductor having a length;
an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;
one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and
a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,
wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,
wherein a dielectric support member extends only from one side of the outer conductor to the central conductor but not to an opposite side of the outer conductor.

7. A coaxial waveguide, comprising:
a center conductor having a length;
an outer conductor comprising one or more walls, spaced apart from and disposed around the center conductor;
one or more dielectric support members for supporting the center conductor in contact with the center conductor and partially embedded within the outer conductor; and
a core volume between the center conductor and the outer conductor, wherein the core volume is under vacuum or in a gas state,
wherein the core volume completely surrounds at least portions of the length of the central conductor,
wherein the waveguide is functionally coupled to an active electronic device.

8. A three-dimensional microstructure, comprising:
a first microstructural element formed of a first material; and
a second microstructural element formed of a second material different from the first material;
a third microstructural element formed of a third material that is different from the second material;
wherein the second microstructural element comprises an anchoring portion embedded in the first microstructural element and contacting the third microstructural element for mechanically locking the first microstructural element to third microstructural element via the second microstructural element,
wherein each of the first and third microstructural elements comprises a conductor and the second microstructural element comprises a dielectric, and wherein at least one of the first and third microstructural elements is a monolithic structure comprising a plurality of adhered planar layers of a conductor.

9. The microstructure of claim 8 wherein the anchoring portion includes a change in cross-section.

10. The microstructure of claim 8 configured to function as a coaxial microwave or RF component.

11. A three-dimensional microstructure, comprising:
a first microstructural element formed of a first material; and
a second microstructural element formed of a second material different from the first material;
a third microstructural element formed of a third material that is different from the second material;
wherein the second microstructural element comprises an anchoring portion embedded in the first microstructural element and contacting the third microstructural element for mechanically locking the first microstructural element to third microstructural element via the second microstructural element
wherein one of the first-third microstructural elements contains a patterned locking portion that mechanically locks the respective element to another of the first to third elements.

12. The microstructure of claim 11 wherein the patterned locking portion comprises an opening through at least one of the first-third elements.

13. The microstructure of claim 11 wherein the first material comprises a metal, the second material comprises a dielectric, and the third material comprises a metal.

14. A three-dimensional microstructure formed by a sequential build process, comprising:
a first microstructural element formed of a first material; and
a second microstructural element formed of a second material different from the first material;
wherein the first or second microstructural element comprises an anchoring portion embedded in the other of the first or second microstructural element for mechanically locking the first microstructural element to the second microstructural element, wherein the anchoring portion includes a change in cross-section so as to provide locking.

15. The microstructure of claim 14 where

Assignees

• Microfabrica Inc

Inventors

• Brown Elliott R
• Evans John D
• Bang Christopher A
• Cohen Adam L
• Lockard Michael S
• Smalley Dennis R
• Grosser Morton

Classifications

• H01P3/06

  Coaxial lines · CPC title

• H01P1/202 Primary

  Coaxial filters (cascaded coaxial cavities H01P1/205) · CPC title

• C25D1/003

  3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers · CPC title

• H01P11/007

  Manufacturing frequency-selective devices (resonators H01P11/008) · CPC title

• H01P11/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type · CPC title