Micro Additive Manufacturing, Year 2

While additive manufacturing is developing at a rapid pace, current efforts by industry have tended to focus on physically larger objects for commercial applications. However, AM technology offers some outstanding potential for fabricating new sensors at micro-scale and with features impossible to replicate via traditional methods. This CIF proposes to begin development of a highly innovative process, utilizing both AM and CVD processes, that will result in 3D structures at micron scales made from refractory materials such as fused quartz, boron, and silicon nitride. The process is based on replicating polymer structures created by 3D printing, including high resolution structures created by micro-stereolithography and Nanoscribe's 2-photon process. A four step process is employed. The intended structure is first fabricated in a polymer via 3D printing. A low temperature CVD process is then used to coat a thin shell on the polymer. The polymer is then dissolved by a solvent, and a higher-temperature material is deposited via a second CVD process. A key feature of both CVD processes is they are done at atmospheric pressure (where the mean free path is less than 100 nm) which enables them to reach microscopic interior features and deep voids.

This CIF pursues an advanced additive manufacturing technology, via an innovative multi-step process, for fabricating micro-sized parts to enable new structures otherwise not possible. This approach can create structures with more than an order of magnitude finer resolution than current processes and create structures in a larger range of materials including refractory materials such as fused quartz, boron, and silicon nitride. The specific goal is to create complex, 3-dimensional parts (sensors, optics, etc.) from nickel or other metals with a maximum dimension of 1 mm and resolutions of 1 micron or less!

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.