Title of Invention

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING THREE-DIMENSIONALLY ARRANGED CONDUCTING AND CONNECTING STRUCTURES FOR VOLUMETRIC AND ENERGY FLOWS

Abstract

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING THREE-DIMENSIONALLY ARRANGED CONDUCTED AND CONNECTED STRUCTURES FOR VOLUMETRIC AND ENERGY FLOWS The invention relates to a method for production of three-dimensionally arranged conducting and connecting structures for volumetric and energy flows. Various light-setting materials are used for the production of the layers. Upon exchanging the materials, those layer regions in which no setting occurred during the preceding setting process, are also filled with new material, such that, in the subsequent setting process, not only is the upper layer linked to the one lying directly beneath it, but also material of the upper layer is connected to the material of a layer lying below the penultimate layer. It is thus possible, within the layer sequence, to connect a structure with varying properties from layer to layer.

Full Text

The present invention relates to a method for producing three-dimensionally arranged conducting and connecting structures for volumetric and energy flows. The volumetric flows may be gaseous, liquid, solid or comprise a mixture of these states of aggrsgation. The energy flows may be of an acoustic, electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic character. Volume and energy flows of this type are generally realized today by many different technologies. For microsystem engineering, conductor tracks and bonding wires are the transporting paths most frequently used. For the transport of electromagnetic forms of energy, not only hollow conductors but also glass fibres are used. Volume flows are realized by channels, tubes and pipelines. With increasing miniaturization, these conducting and connecting elements can now only be brought together with very great difficulty. The invention achieves the object by the use of a structured layer-based construction. Layered construction methods are known from microtechnology. For instance, German Patent 44 20 996 describes a method in which the surface tension of a small amount of light-curable polymer causes it to be held between two mutually parallel plates, at least one of which is permeable to electromagnetic waves. The surface of the liquid polymer below the plate which is permeable to electromagnetic waves is cured, for example, by means of a laser beam, which is guided over the surface on the basis of a 3-layer model of the structure to be generated that is stored in a connected computer. The laser light cures the liquid polymer layer by layer in accordance with the 3-D layer model, the distance between the plates being increased in each case by a layer thickness, so that fresh polymer material can, on account of its surface tension alone, flow into the intermediate space produced between the cured layer and the plate. In this way, structures in the micrometre range can be produced very exactly. The invention makes use of this technology. Accordingly the present invention provides a method for producing three-dimensionally arranged conducting and connecting structures for volumetric and energy flows, whereby different light-setting materials are employed, characterized in that the method comprising the steps of: (a) generating a structured layer by structured prefabrication of a liquid, light- setting material with selected physical, chemical or biological properties; (b) cleaning the structured layer of the uncured material by means of a flushing process, filled with liquid, light-setting material with other physical, chemical or biological properties, and covered with a defined layer thickness; (c) curing areas of the first layer and the new layer in a structured manner by structured solidification; (d) cleaning the structured layers of uncured material of the last structuring by means of a flushing process, filled with liquid light-setting material with other physical, chemical and biological properties, and covered with a defined layer thickness; (e) curing areas of the second layer and the new layer in a structured manner by structured solidification, generating in this manner a connection of materials with the same physical, chemical or biological properties, or an insulation of said materials; (f) cleaning the structured layers of the uncured materials of the last structuring by means of a flushing process; (g) fitting areas not filled with material with electronic, mechanical, optical or chemical components according to the system to be produced; (h) filling the structured layers and the components with liquid, light-setting material with other physical, chemical and biological properties, and covered with a defined layer thickness; (i) curing areas of the second-last layer and the new layer in a structured manner by structured solidification, generating in this manner a connection of materials and components with the same physical, chemical or biological properties, or an insulation of such materials and components; (k) repeating the steps (a) to (i) until the three dimensionally arranged structure is finished; whereby each of said layers is generated by a small amount of the light-setting plastic between two parallel boards due to the surface tension with at least one of said boards being permeable to electromagnetic waves (light), curing said thin layer of liquid plastic according to the layers of a 3-Dlayer-model of the structure to be generated, whereby said model is stored in a connected computer and the electromagnetic waves cure the plastic liquid layer by layer in accordance with the 3-D-layer-model, whereby the spacing of the boards is increased in each step by one layer thickness, so that fresh plastic material can flow into the intermediate space being created between the cured layer and the board solely on account of its surface tension. In the method, different light-curing materials are used for producing the layers. These materials may have extremely different physical, chemical and biological properties, for example: electrically conducting, electrically insulating, different optical calculation [sic] indices. When changing over the materials, the layer segments in which no curing took place during the previous curing process are also filled with new material, so that during the subsequent curing not only the uppermost layer is connected to the layer lying under it, but material of the uppermost layer is also connected to the material of a layer lying under the penultimate layer. This makes it possible within the series of layers for a structure with different material properties from layer to layer to be connected together. For volume transport, this takes the form of non-cured regions which are available as channels after curing and a rinsing operation. Similarly, these channels may be used as hollow conductors for radio frequency if the walls of the channels are produced from material with corresponding properties. Light-conducting structures can also be produced by materials with different refractive indices. These light-conducting structures can be used in connection with light transistors (on the light switches light principle) to form optical integrated circuits. In this way, conventional integrated circuits (ICs) can also be connected to one other. This is so because, if an IC has been integrated in a cavity under the last surface, a channel can be produced with conducting material over the terminals (pads) and can then lead to a further IC or else to plug-in connectors which have been produced in this way. I CLAIM 1. A method for producing three-dimensionally arranged conducting and connecting structures for volumetric and energy flows, whereby different light-setting materials are employed, characterized in that the method comprising the steps of: (a) generating a structured layer by structured prefabrication of a liquid, light- setting material with selected physical, chemical or biological properties; (b) cleaning the structured layer of the uncured material by means of a flushing process, filled with liquid, light-setting material with other physical, chemical or biological properties, and covered with a defined layer thickness; (c) curing areas of the first layer and the new layer in a structured manner by structured solidification; (d) cleaning the structured layers of uncured material of the last structuring by means of a flushing process, filled with liquid light-setting material with other physical, chemical and biological properties, and covered with a defined layer thickness; (e) curing areas of the second layer and the new layer in a structured manner by structured solidification, generating in this manner a connection of materials with the same physical, chemical or biological properties, or an insulation of said materials; (f) cleaning the structured layers of the uncured materials of the last structuring by means of a flushing process; (g) fitting areas not filled with material with electronic, mechanical, optical or chemical components according to the system to be produced; (h) filling the structured layers and the components with liquid, light-setting material with other physical, chemical and biological properties, and covered with a defined layer thickness; (i) curing areas of the second-last layer and the new layer in a structured manner by structured solidification, generating in this manner a connection of materials and components with the same physical, chemical or biological properties, or an insulation of such materials and components; (k) repeating the steps (a) to (i) until the three dimensionally arranged structure is finished; whereby each of said layers is generated by a small amount of the light-setting plastic between two parallel boards due to the surface tension with at least one of said boards being permeable to electromagnetic waves (light), curing said thin layer of liquid plastic according to the layers of a 3-Dlayer-model of the structure to be generated, whereby said model is stored in a connected computer and the electromagnetic waves cure the plastic liquid layer by layer in accordance with the 3-D-layer-model, whereby the spacing of the boards is increased in each step by one layer thickness, so that fresh plastic material can flow into the intermediate space being created between the cured layer and the board solely on account of its surface tension. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein several electronic, mechanical, chemical or biological/electrical components are connected to each other. 3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the connections between the components and the environment of the system is used for volumetric and energy flows. 4. A method for producing three-dimensionally arranged conducting and connecting structures for volumetric and energy flows, substantially as hereinabove described.

Documents:

in-pct-2001-1212-che abstract-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che abstract.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che claims-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che claims.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che correspondence-others.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che correspondence-po.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che description (complete).pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che form-1.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che form-19.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che form-26.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che form-3.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che form-5.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che others.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che pct search report.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che pct.pdf

in-pct-2001-1212-che petition.pdf