Methods for manufacturing three-dimensional devices and devices created thereby
View Patent ↗In certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, three-dimensional micro-mechanical devices and/or micro-structures can be made using a production casting process. As part of this process, an intermediate mold can be made from or derived from a precision stack lamination and used to fabricate the devices and/or structures. Further, the micro-devices and/or micro-structures can be fabricated on planar or nonplanar surfaces through use of a series of production casting processes and intermediate molds. The use of precision stack lamination can allow the fabrication of high aspect ratio structures. Moreover, via certain molding and/or casting materials, molds having cavities with protruding undercuts also can be fabricated.
1. A device, comprising:
a radiation attenuating, cast, monolithic body comprising at least one surface that defines:
a protruding undercut; and
a plurality of 3-dimensional micro-features;
said surface derived from and substantially spatially invertedly replicating a stack lamination mold surface formed by a stacked plurality of metallic foil layers comprised by a stack lamination mold;
wherein said body comprises particles having a size ranging from 1 to 150 microns.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
by virtue of one or more features, compositions, properties, dimensions, structural elements, and/or geometric shapes of said body, said device is adapted to serve as a mammography scatter reduction grid.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
by virtue of one or more features, compositions, properties, dimensions, structural elements, and/or geometric shapes of said body, said device is adapted to serve as a nuclear medicine collimator.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
by virtue of one or more features, compositions, properties, dimensions, structural elements, and/or geometric shapes said body, said device is adapted to serve as a computed-tomography collimator.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a collimator focused in two orthogonal directions.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a plurality of open passages that are focally aligned to a predetermined distance.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cross-grid.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a grid ratio of less than 4.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a grid ratio of less than 8.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a grid ratio of less than 12.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a plurality of non-redundant cells.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a plurality of cells, each cell from said plurality of cells having a unique cross-sectional shape with respect to each other cell from said plurality of cells.
13. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a non-planar wall.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a wall having a non-uniform thickness.
15. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a non-rectangular cell cross-sectional shape.
16. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a cell cross-sectional shape comprising 3 distinct sides.
17. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a cell cross-sectional shape comprising 5 distinct sides.
18. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a cell cross-sectional shape comprising greater than 6 distinct sides.
19. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a width of between approximately 25 microns and approximately 250 microns.
20. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines a cell having a width of less than 1 millimeter.
21. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one surface is non-planar.
22. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one surface is anisotropic.
23. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one surface is isotropic.
24. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one surface has a predetermined surface finish.
25. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines at least one wall having an aspect ratio of greater than 25:1.
26. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines at least one wall having an aspect ratio of greater than 10:1.
27. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines at least one wall having a thickness of less than 20 microns.
28. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines at least one wall having a thickness of less than 100 microns.
29. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines at least one wall having a height of up to 10,000 microns.
30. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body defines at least one wall having a height of between approximately 4 centimeters and approximately 30 centimeters.
31. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body comprises a lead alloy.
32. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body comprises a lead alloy combined with a plurality of dense particles selected from gold, tantalum, and tungsten.
33. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body comprises a cured polymer.
34. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body comprises a cured epoxy.
35. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body comprises a cured binder loaded with metallic powder.
36. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body comprises a material having a density of approximately 7.0 grams/cc to approximately 12.5 grams/cc.
37. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
said body comprises a material having a density of approximately 12.5 grams/cc to approximately 14 grams/cc.
38. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pixilated detector array.
39. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of scintillators.
40. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of radiation detector elements.
41. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of radiation detector elements focally aligned by openings defined by said body.
42. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of radiation detector elements focally aligned by openings defined by said body to a radiation source at a predetermined distance.