Comparisons of the new thick negative resist to Su8 resist

This work deals with recent advances in the microfabrication process technology for medium to high-aspect ratio structures fabricated by UV photolithography using different kinds of photoresists. The resulting structures were used as molds and will be transformed into metal structures by electroplating. Two types of photoresists are compared: epoxy-based (negative) SU-8 and acrylate-based (negative) Intervia BPN. This work was prompted by the need to find an alternative to SU-8 photoresist which is difficult to process and remove after electroplating. The results presented in this paper open up new possibilities for low-cost processes using electroplating in MEMS applications.