Polymeric micromechanical components with tunable stiffness

We present a microstereolithographic technique that enables the manufacturing of polymeric components for microelectromechanical systems. Model microstructures were fabricated in the form of end-supported microbeams ~10 mm in diameter!, in order to characterize the mechanical properties of the produced structures at the micron scale. The flexural modulus of these microbeams was measured by atomic force microscopy, using cantilevers with attached metal spheres, and employed in a three-point bending geometry. Postfabrication treatment of the microstructures allows for the tailoring of their stiffness. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. @DOI: 10.1063/1.1400084#