ATomic LAyer NanoprinTer, for rapid micro- and nanoprototyping of complex multi-material 2D/3D structures with high-resolution

Descrizione del progetto

Le stampanti 3D ad alta risoluzione passano alla fase commerciale

La stampa tridimensionale ha un enorme potenziale per quanto concerne la lavorazione di piccole e complesse funzioni nei sistemi microelettromeccanici (MEMS). Tuttavia, la risoluzione di stampa relativamente bassa, i pochi materiali di stampa e la mancanza di flessibilità di progettazione sono un fattore limitante nei confronti di una più diffusa proliferazione della stampa 3D dei MEMS. L’azienda danese ATLANT ha creato la prima stampante 3D per la prototipazione rapida di più materiali su micro e nanoscale che combina tre tecnologie in una macchina: deposizione di strati atomici, microfluidica e stampa 3D. Il finanziamento del progetto ATLANT3D da parte dell’UE consentirà all’azienda di colmare i rimanenti passi verso la commercializzazione della tecnologia su vasta scala. A lungo termine, l’idea è che ATLANT3D diventi l’unico dispositivo necessario per la prototipazione in qualsiasi ambiente di micro/nanofabbricazione.

Obiettivo

The 3D printing of micro- & nanostructures has been showing a huge potential over conventional methods (thin film microfabrication) for micromachining Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and sensors with small and complex features, in an up to 9x faster and 95% cheaper way. Still, current 3D printing solutions are severely limited by their printing resolution (>300 nm), restricted to a few printable materials and lacking design flexibility.

ATLANT created the first 3D printer for rapid multi-material prototyping on the micro- and nanoscale that replaces multiple one-function devices by an all-in-one machine: ATLANT3D, a unique solution combining 3 proven technologies, namely atomic layer deposition, microfluidics, and 3D printing. ATLANT3D will accelerate prototyping for micro-/nanodevices and systems at a fraction of the current cost, drastically reducing the required time, risks and production waste, as well as enabling customization when testing new ideas and products at nanoscale. Despite having the potential to fabricate any micro-/nanodevice, ATLANT’s initial focus is on the fast-growing market of MEMS & sensors, projected to reach 23B€ by 2023. Several leading microfabrication companies in the field already expressed a strong interest in testing our technology for their product development.

To bridge the remaining steps towards full-scale commercialization of the technology, ATLANT has to widely demonstrate its technological benefits and economic assets over competing solutions, aimed to ensure public acceptance and enough muscle for ATLANT3D production ramp-up. Thus, ATLANT will leverage from the current SME instrument application as a vital stepping stone to prepare the company’s business strategy and to pave the way to a solid position on the emergent 3D printing industry for micro-/nanodevices fabrication. In the long term, the vision for ATLANT3D is to become the one device needed for prototyping in any micro-/nanofabrication environment.