A MEMS self-aligned high-and-low comb tooth and manufacturing method thereof, the comb tooth having a lifting structure, the lifting structure generating a displacement in the vertical direction to drive the movement of a movable comb tooth or a fixed comb tooth attached thereto. The manufacturing method thereof adopts a silicon wafer, the lifting structure and the comb tooth are sequentially formed on a mechanical structure layer, the fixed comb tooth and the movable comb tooth are formed with the same etching process, and the stress in the lifting structure displaces the fixed comb tooth and the movable comb tooth in the vertical direction, thus forming the self-aligned high-and-low comb tooth.

The present invention generally relates to nanofabrication and, in some embodiments, to methods of synthesizing selectively binding patched nanoparticles and the devices that can be made from them. In some embodiments, the invention relates to methods of assembling arbitrarily shaped structures from patched nanocubes and the devices and uses that follow. For example, nanocube building blocks may be patched by stamping their faces with a selectively binding chemical species (e.g. DNA, antibody-antigen pairs, etc.), or by using self-assembly to attach to the nanocubes multiple selectively binding patch species whose immiscibility can be preprogrammed. Arbitrarily shaped structures can then be designed and assembled by deciding which faces will be bonded to each other in some target structure and combining nanocubes that have selectively binding patches on those faces. Other aspects of the invention are also directed to methods of making such nanocubes or other nanoparticles, methods of forming such nanocubes.

According to one embodiment, a pattern formation method includes forming a base structure including first and second guide portions each including a pinning portion, and a neutral portion, forming a block copolymer film containing first and second polymers on the bass structure, performing a predetermined treatment for the block copolymer film, thereby forming first and second pattern portions formed of the first polymer, forming third and fourth pattern portions formed of the second polymer, and forming a fifth pattern portion formed of the first and second polymers. The fifth pattern portion includes a plurality of first portions formed of the second polymer, and a second portion formed of the first polymer and provided on the neutral portion and the first portions.

A substantially planar self-folding film assembly to generate a folded three-dimensional assembly. The assembly includes a flexible support substrate, adhesive elements, and folding members. The folding members include a base, a folding region, and a hinge adjacent each folding region attached at the base to the flexible support substrate by at least one of the adhesive elements. An array of polymer actuators is co-extensive, or shaped to be not co-extensive, with each of the flexible folding members. Upon activation by a patterned light to heat conversion layer, each polymer actuator is designed and configured to provide a displacement of the corresponding flexible folding member about each hinge.

A mirror assembly includes a frame having a central opening and a mirror plate, which is contained within the central opening of the frame and is shaped to define separate first and second mirrors connected by a bridge extending between the first and second mirrors. A pair of hinges are connected between the frame and the mirror plate at locations on the central axis on opposing sides of the frame so as to enable rotation of the mirror plate about the central axis relative to the frame.

A microelectromechanical probe is manufactured by a MEMS manufacturing process forming a probe body and a cutting process providing a pinpoint portion a cutting face. The probe has a top surface, a body portion, and a pinpoint portion extended in a probing direction from the body portion and provided with first and second sides and a probing end oriented in the probing direction. The cutting face is provided on the top surface, adjoins the first and second sides and the probing end, and has at least one cut mark formed by the cutting process, extended from the first side to the second side and non-parallel to the probing direction. The cutting face descends from an edge cut mark to the probing end.

A substantially planar self-folding film assembly to generate a folded three-dimensional assembly. The assembly includes a flexible support substrate, adhesive elements, and folding members. The folding members include a base, a folding region, and a hinge adjacent each folding region attached at the base to the flexible support substrate by at least one of the adhesive elements. An array of polymer actuators is co-extensive, or shaped to be not co-extensive, with each of the flexible folding members. Upon activation by a patterned light to heat conversion layer, each polymer actuator is designed and configured to provide a displacement of the corresponding flexible folding member about each hinge.

A mirror assembly includes a frame having a central opening and a mirror plate, which is contained within the central opening of the frame and is shaped to define separate first and second mirrors connected by a bridge extending between the first and second mirrors. A pair of hinges are connected between the frame and the mirror plate at locations on the central axis on opposing sides of the frame so as to enable rotation of the mirror plate about the central axis relative to the frame.

The disclosure generally relates to method and apparatus for forming three-dimensional MEMS. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a method of controlling out-of-plane buckling in microstructural devices so as to create micro-structures with out-of-plane dimensions which are 1, 5, 10, 100 or 500 the film's thickness or above the surface of the wafer. An exemplary device formed according to the disclosed principles, includes a three dimensional accelerometer having microbridges extending both above and below the wafer surface.

In an example, a method of manufacturing a MEMS device includes forming a via. The method also includes depositing metal in the via and depositing a first layer of a non-photoactive organic polymer on the metal. The method includes baking the first layer of the non-photoactive organic polymer. The method also includes depositing a second layer of the non-photoactive organic polymer on the first layer of the non-photoactive organic polymer after baking the first layer of the non-photoactive organic polymer. The method includes baking the second layer of the non-photoactive organic polymer. The method also includes etching the first layer and the second layer of the non-photoactive organic polymer.