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Updated: May 7, 2026

Micropunching Lithography for Generating Micro- and Submicron-patterns on Polymer Substrates
Published on: July 2, 2012
Fabrication of a high-aspect-ratio sub-micron tool using a cathode coated with stretched-out insulating layers
Yongbin Zeng1, Yufeng Wang, Ningsong Qu
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Precision and Micro-Manufacturing Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), Nanjing 210016, China.
Abstract:
This paper describes a method for preparing a high-aspect-ratio sub-micron tool using a cathode coated with stretched-out insulating layers and a straight reciprocating motion applied at the anode via the liquid membrane electrochemical machining (ECM). Simulation results indicate that the application of a cathode coated with stretched-out insulating layers is beneficial for the localization of ECM. Moreover, a mathematical model was derived to estimate the final average diameter of the fabricated tools. Experiments were conducted to verify the versatility and feasibility of the proposed method and its mathematical model. It was observed that the calculated and the experimental results are in good agreement with each other. A sub-micron tool with an average diameter 140.8 nm and an aspect ratio up to 50 was fabricated using the proposed method.

