Developing a Rapid Prototyping Microfabrication Technology with Conventional Photolithography Techniques

Microfabrication can be accomplished by conventional photolithography techniques or by newer rapid prototyping techniques, which speed up the fabrication process. Most approaches to rapid prototyping involve entirely re-designing the microfabrication process, such as by inkjet printing with fabrication materials and substrates. Many materials and devices, such as those produced in glass or silicon, are best fabricated using conventional photolithography. Our research project will increase the throughput of microfabrication by photolithography by developing a rapid prototyping technique to produce high precision, low cost photomasks. The new technique will utilize the Sony XPERIA Z5 smartphone, which has the highest pixel density (806 ppi) of any smartphone currently available, to produce high resolution photomasks by exposing ortho-lithographic photography film in surface contact with smartphone screen. The project will take part in three phases. Our goal is to develop a custom android app to control photomask geometry, along with a custom designed 3D model for phone and film placement, and to test exposure time and the film development process, lastly we will work on implementing all of these results on the Sony XPERIA Z5. Microfabrication is significant in many ways, and even more so developments in their process, for our research we focused on the significance for NASA and more specifically finding life elsewhere in the solar-system. Life elsewhere in our solar system is most likely to be found in aqueous environments, such as the subsurface oceans of Europa or Enceladus. Microfluidic devices are exceptionally well suited to characterizing chemical biology in aqueous samples, and their small footprint, low energy consumption, and automated operation make them ideal technologies for solar system exploration. The proposed research will provide an enabling technology for the development of new microfluidic devices that will support the search for life in our solar system. Currently in this phase of research our results are more developmental products, then data values. An app to control photomask geometry has successfully been developed and can be used on any android device. The film development process has also been developed and tested on a basic level. Development for the 3D model has gone well but it is still undergoing work to make sure the process is as simplified as possible due to the nature of the work. In these early stages of the research the conclusions look promising, we have been able to develop every step of the process so far without any hitches.