Thick photoresists for electroforming metallic microcomponents

Recently, microelectroforming has been extensively applied to fabricating metallic components for sensors, actuators, and other systems. Thick photoresists are used for making micromoulds for electroforming and closely related to the quality and costs of an electroforming process. In the current paper, thick UV photoresists SU8, BPR100, and KMPR are analysed and compared in their electroforming performance of nickel microcomponents. Optimized UV lithography processes are introduced for producing micromoulds in each of the resists and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the moulds are presented and analysed. Then, electroformed nickel components from the micromoulds, are presented. Finally, applicability of the photoresists to electroforming microcomponents is discussed. Each of the resists demonstrates advantages and disadvantages to suit different applications.