Creation of film-free freestanding 3D microstructures by aligned mask micromolding

There are established macroscale fabrication methods to create parts of virtually any shape or size; but for components in the microscale range (thousands to tens of microns) there is a dearth of options for making 3D parts at high enough throughput to make them practical. Here we use traditional photolithography with an aligned mask micromolding method to fabricate freestanding 3D microstructures that can be used as components of microrobotics and microfluidics devices for biomedical applications. The overall goal of this research is to create novel micromolding processes that are capable of creating defect-free microscale structures with controllable 3D geometry, a variety of material properties, and high fabrication throughput. While some methods are available that are capable of meeting a few of these goals, nothing exists in the current microfabrication repertoire that can accomplish all simultaneously.