Abstract SU-8 is a negative photoresist that is widely used as a precursor to carbon in the fabrication of 3D carbon microstructures. These microstructures are used in applications including sensors, manipulators and batteries. The SU-8 structures are usually made using photolithography and heat treated to high temperatures in an inert atmosphere to achieve carbonization. The shrinkage that results during carbonization affects the design of devices where these structures are used. In this work we studied the shrinkage during carbonization. We emphasized the impact of 1) carbonization protocol and 2) geometry and shape of the SU-8 precursor. Using statistical analysis with ANOVA, we concluded that the geometry of the structure, pyrolysis temperature and pyrolysis atmosphere play a major role in determining the shrinkage of the SU-8 structures. We did not observe a statistically-valid impact from changes in dwell times and heating rate. Based on these results, we present a series of relations to help predict the shrinkage of SU-8 microstructures during carbonization, and facilitate the design of carbon 3D microstructures in different fields.

中文翻译：

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碳化过程中SU-8微观结构的收缩

摘要 SU-8 是一种负性光刻胶，在 3D 碳微结构的制造中广泛用作碳的前体。这些微结构用于传感器、机械手和电池等应用。SU-8 结构通常使用光刻法制成，并在惰性气氛中进行高温热处理以实现碳化。碳化过程中产生的收缩会影响使用这些结构的设备的设计。在这项工作中，我们研究了碳化过程中的收缩。我们强调了 1) 碳化协议和 2) SU-8 前体的几何形状和形状的影响。使用方差分析的统计分析，我们得出结论，结构的几何形状、热解温度和热解气氛在确定 SU-8 结构的收缩率方面起着主要作用。我们没有观察到停留时间和加热速率变化的统计上有效的影响。基于这些结果，我们提出了一系列关系来帮助预测碳化过程中 SU-8 微结构的收缩，并促进不同领域碳 3D 微结构的设计。