Length scale integration : implementation of a new process chain for producing replication masters with micro and nano scale features

Abstract

Emerging micro-engineered products tend to integrate a multitude of functionalities into single enclosures/packages. This trend for “function integration” has to be underpinned by manufacturing capabilities for “length-scale integration” at component and product levels, i.e. the ability to manufacture parts incorporating features from a few hundreds of micrometres to sub-100 nm. In order to design novel process chains that enable such function and length scale integration into miniaturised devices, it is required to utilise materials that are compatible with the various component manufacturing processes in such chains. At the same time, these materials should be able to satisfy the functional requirements of the produced devices. One family of materials, which can fulfil these criteria, is bulk metallic glasses. In particular, the absence of grain boundaries in bulk metallic glasses makes them mechanically and chemically homogeneous for processing at all length scales down to a few nanometres. A number of recent studies have shown that pico-second laser ablation and focused ion beam milling are promising technologies for structuring this type of amorphous alloys at the micro and sub-micro scales respectively without introducing any changes in their non-crystalline structure. In this context, this research presents an experimental investigation to establish the validity of the process pair “pico-second laser” and “focused ion beam” when it is considered for structuring a particular type of bulk metallic glasses to produce replication masters incorporating micro and nano scale structures.