STTR Phase II: A Lithographic Gelcasting Process using Nanoparticulates: An Enabling Technology for Mass Production of Microdevices with Nanoscale Features

这个小型企业技术转移(STTR)第二阶段项目将开发一种适用于经济批量生产的微型设备的新型光刻凝胶注模(LGC)制造工艺并将其商业化。模具将使用光刻技术制造，并填充纳米颗粒材料。然后将得到的零件进行烧结并去除光致抗蚀剂。拟议工作的目标是通过使用将制造过程参数与预期结果相关联的统计过程模型，并确定与制造和设计属性相关的过程能力和设计空间的范围，将纳米颗粒铸造过程发展成用于大规模生产的稳健、可重复和高成品率的制造过程，如特征尺寸和几何形状、可实现的公差、过程成品率和制造成本。这项工作将在已知的客户/合作伙伴设计上进行，以便在开发过程中为最终应用程序生产实际组件。这项工作的激励应用是制造显微外科器械，从特征尺寸、材料和物理特性的角度来看，这类设备具有相当大的挑战性。拟议的制造方法将影响许多类型的设备和系统，这些设备和系统将受益于有吸引力的材料特性和大规模生产能力。如果成功，建议的制造方法可能会影响各种手术中使用的手术器械，如腹腔镜及其内窥镜或腔内变体、神经外科、机器人辅助手术、柔性内窥镜(如结肠镜)、眼科(包括玻璃体视网膜手术)、腔内血管手术和活组织检查。2004年，外科和医疗器械行业的规模约为240亿美元。在美国，每年进行数百万次微创外科手术，一次性器械的价格通常在100-3000美元之间。其他需要三维精密零件的行业也可能受到影响。除了商业潜力，这家企业的成功还可能影响宾夕法尼亚州中部当地社区的经济。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project will develop and commercialize a novel Lithographic Gelcasting (LGC) manufacturing process for microdevices that is amenable for economical volume production. Molds will be made using photolithography and filled with nanoparticulate materials. The resulting parts will then be sintered and the photoresist removed. The objectives of the proposed work are to develop the nanoparticulate casting process into a robust, repeatable, and high-yield manufacturing process for mass production, through the use of statistical process models that relate the manufacturing process parameters to desired outcomes, and determine the range of process capability and design space as it relates to manufacturing and design attributes such as feature size and geometry, achievable tolerances, process yield, and manufacturing costs. This effort will be conducted on known client/partner designs so that actual components will be produced for an end application while the process is being developed. The motivating application for this work is the fabrication of microsurgical instruments, a class of devices that is quite challenging from the perspective of feature size, material, and physical properties. The proposed manufacturing method will impact many types of devices and systems that will benefit from attractive material properties and mass production capability. If successful the proposed manufacturing methods have the potential to impact surgical instruments used in procedures as disparate as laparoscopy and its endoscopic or transluminal variants, neurosurgery, robotic-assisted surgery, flexible endoscopy such as colonoscopy, ophthalmology including vitreoretinal surgery, transluminal vascular procedures, and biopsy. In 2004 surgical and medical instruments comprised an approximately $24 billion industry. Millions of minimally invasive surgical procedures are performed annually in the U.S., where individual disposable instruments typically cost $100 - $3,000. Other industries requiring three dimensional precision parts could also be impacted. Besides the commercial potential the success of this enterprise could impact the economy of the local community in Central Pennsylvania.