Patent ID: 7114361

Claim:
A method for the producing substantially identical microscale metal or metal alloy structures, said method comprising the steps of: (a) fabricating a microscale mold insert having a size and shape that are generally complementary to the size and shape of the desired microscale structures; (b) etching away surface oxides, if any, from the microscale mold insert; (c) coating the microscale mold insert with a bond inhibitor layer; (d) heating a metal plate or a metal alloy plate and the microscale mold insert to a temperature between about 40% and about 90% of the melting point of the plate; (e) pressing the heated plate and the heated microscale mold insert together to form an inverse image of the microscale mold insert in the plate; wherein the inverse image is complementary to the microscale mold insert to an accuracy within about 10 microns; (f) repeating steps (d) and (e) a plurality of times using the same or a different coated microscale mold insert to produce a plurality of substantially identical high aspect ratio microscale metal or metal alloy structures.