Scalable Platform for Batch Fabrication of Micro/Nano Devices on Engineering Substrates of Arbitrary Shapes and Sizes

Silicon wafers with standard sizes and shapes have served as the batch fabrication platform for microfabrication of micro/nano devices for decades. However, there is a strong demand to batch fabricate micro/nano devices on other engineering materials (e.g. titanium, stainless steel, diamond, and ceramics) of complicate shapes and sizes designed for important applications. Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to meet the demand due to various challenges involved during microfabrication. Here we present a novel batch fabrication platform which can be used to facilitate the batch fabrication of thin film devices on substrates with arbitrary shapes and sizes. This platform will eliminate photolithography related defects such as edge bead formation, which will enable fabrication of thin film devices at the edges/corners of arbitrary shaped and sized substrates. At the same time it will enable uniform and bulk polishing of these substrates. As a proof of concept, parallel/batch fabrication process was successfully applied and proved by fabricating thin film piezoelectric force sensors on polygonal shaped stainless steel plates.