Patent ID: 7968042

Claim:
A method of molding a structure on a top surface of a substrate using a mold apparatus, comprising the steps of: dispensing mold material onto an area of the top surface of the substrate; positioning a mold portion of the mold apparatus above the mold material; surrounding the mold material with a shroud of the mold apparatus; forming a seal between the shroud of the mold apparatus and the top surface of the substrate; reducing pressure within the shroud of the mold apparatus below an ambient pressure; lowering the mold portion of the mold apparatus toward the top surface of the substrate having the mold material while the pressure is reduced to below the ambient pressure, wherein at least an outer edge of the mold portion is in contact with the mold material; after lowering the mold portion of the mold apparatus, raising the pressure within the shroud of the mold apparatus from below the ambient pressure to at least the ambient pressure, wherein raising the pressure within the shroud of the mold apparatus from below the ambient pressure to at least the ambient pressure causes the mold material to be forced into features of a bottom surface of the mold portion; and curing the mold material to form the structure.