Abstract
We propose a new processing method to form polymeric thin films on defined areas of movable parts of microdevices by using trench frames on the device surfaces. We fabricated additional surficial trench frames on silicon microcantilevers to define the areas coated with the polymeric films by increasing the tolerance to protrusion of a liquid droplet from the edge in the coating process. The 500 nm-wide trench frames were fabricated on the silicon surfaces by deep-reactive ion etching process with the resist mask patterned by electron beam lithography. We also fabricated the same trench frames on planer silicon substrates, and we formed polybutadiene (PBD) thin films on the surfaces using a microdispenser system. When the n-dodecane solution of PBD was coated on the micro-area framed by the trenches, PBD film was successfully defined within the framed area. The trench frames fabricated on the cantilevers also indicated the possible effectiveness to define the coated PBD films in the framed areas.
