Microstructures

• Main Authors: CROSS GRAHAM, DESPONT MICHEL, GENOLET GREGOIRE, VETTIGER PETER, DUERIG URS T, SCHLITTLER RETO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.2008
• Subjects: APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBEMICROSCOPY [SPM]; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT THEREOF; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; METALLURGY; MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICALDEVICES; MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY; NANOSTRUCTURES FORMED BY MANIPULATION OF INDIVIDUAL ATOMS,MOLECULES, OR LIMITED COLLECTIONS OF ATOMS OR MOLECULES ASDISCRETE UNITS; NANOTECHNOLOGY; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; STATIC STORES; TESTING; TRANSPORTING

A method for forming a microstructures is described. The method comprises: depositing a seed material on a substrate; growing a nanotube from the seed material; depositing microstructure material on the substrate to embed the nanotube in the microstructure material; and, detaching the substrate to release the microstructure. The resulting mictostructure comprises a body portion and a nanotube embedded in the body portion.