Silicon shadow mask fabrication for patterned metal deposition with microscale dimensions using a novel corner compensation scheme

Pattern deposition of metals with controlled and microscale dimensions can be a challenging task if traditional photolithography is not a practical option. This is a particularly valid concern for the case of certain polymer substrates, which are gaining in importance in the microelectronics and related industries. Therefore, a novel design and process flow for batch fabricating low cost reusable silicon shadow masks was developed. Of note was the corner compensation scheme employed to avoid over-etching of the convex corners in the design. These shadow masks enabled deposition of metals or other suitable materials with feature sizes ranging from approximately 3 to 250 μm and were successfully utilized to form patterned metal heater lines and pads on various samples. The heaters, required for conducting thermal conductivity measurements of the underlying films/substrates using the three omega (3ω) method, showed resistance–temperature linearity, confirming theoretical estimates to within ∼0.2%. Moreover, the room temperature thermal conductivity of an amorphous SiO2 film as well as a polyaniline thick film were measured, further validating the deposition through shadow mask technique.