Ultrathick SU-8 mold formation and removal, and its application to the fabrication of LIGA-like micromotors with embedded roots

In this study, a novel method to completely remove crosslinked SU-8 without remnants of the resist or destroying the electroplated microstructures was utilized. The LIGA-like fabrication of a side-driven electrostatic micromotor was employed as an example to describe polymerized SU-8 resist removal. Using near-UV light, nickel components of the micromotor were electroplated 160 μm in a 300 μm-thick SU-8 mold. A comparison of various approaches based on a commercial remover was performed during the mold removal process. Experimental results showed that components having 1 μm-deep substructures embedded in the substrate could provide stronger structures to withstand the internal stress due to the photoresist deformation. In addition, when the height of the electroplated structure was below two-thirds of the photoresist mold thickness, the net clamping force on the resist could be effectively reduced to make the removal of SU-8 with heated remover successfully. The rotor and the stator with embedded roots were released cleanly and thereby, assembled to form a high-aspect-ratio micromotor. The technique of SU-8 removal and LIGA-like process presented herein can be applied to the fabrication of other high-powered microactuators.