Patent ID: 7052926

Claim:
A method of fabricating a movable, high-aspect ratio micromechanical device or system with dimensions that can vary from nanometers to millimeters, the method comprising the steps of: providing a substrate sized for the micromechanical device or system to be fabricated, the substrate being formed from a material composed of a laminate comprised of at least an overlying material layer and an underlying material layer, said materials having different properties so as to allow the underlying material layer to be selectively removed, whereby the overlying material is then released and thereby movable, forming a tool master with a high-aspect ratio, submicron lateral resolution, and vertical dimensions substantially corresponding to the vertical dimensions of the device or system to be fabricated, heating the tool master and the substrate to a temperature exceeding the temperature of the material with a higher yielding or flowing temperature, at which both the overlying material and the underlying material become compliant, whereby the substrate materials are less resistant to yielding or flowing, pressing the heated tool master and substrate into one another with sufficient force so as to imprint the shape and form of the tool master into the material of the substrate, lowering the temperature of the pressed together tool master and substrate to a temperature at which the substrate materials become substantially less compliant, whereby the substrate materials are more resistant to yielding or flowing, separating the tool master and substrate, and cooling the separated and imprinted substrate to ambient temperature.