We report the design of the KRISS watt balance, which includes a magnet, a guiding stage and a coil position measurement system. The KRISS watt balance incorporates a closed-type cylindrical permanent magnet and a motion guiding stage. For the magnet, a flux shunt is used to reduce flux changes due to temperature variations. A piston gauge is used to achieve linearity in the motion guiding stage. In the weighing mode, the residual force between the weight of the test mass and the Lorentz force generated in a coil is measured by a commercial weighing cell. In the dynamic mode, a linear motor in the motion guiding stage vertically translates the coil and the weighing cell. The in-plane motion of the coil is measured by position sensors, and the out-of-plane motion is measured by single-pass homodyne interferometers.

Microlenses and microlens arrays were fabricated using a novel fabrication technology based on the exposure of a resist (usually PMMA) to deep x-rays and subsequent thermal treatment. The fabrication technology is very simple and produces microlenses and microlens arrays with good surface roughness (less than 1 nm). The molecular weight and glass transition temperature of PMMA is reduced when it is irradiated with deep x-rays. The microlenses were produced through the effects of volume change, surface tension, and reflow during thermal treatment of irradiated PMMA. The geometry of the microlens was determined by parameters such as the x-ray dose applied to the PMMA, the diameter of the microlens, along with the heating temperature, heating time and cooling rate in the thermal treatment. Microlenses were produced with diameters ranging from 30 to 1500 μm. The modified LIGA process was used to construct not only hemispherical microlenses, but also structures that were rectangular-shaped, star-shaped, etc.

We present a fabrication method for freestanding complex 3D carbon microstructures utilizing a lithogaphy step and a heating step. We developed two fabrication methods for multi-level 3D SU-8 microstructures, which were used as polymer precursors in a carbonization process. In one method, multiple SU-8 layers were successively coated and cross-linked. In the other method, aligned partial exposures were used to control the thickness of the freestanding SU-8 layer. Freestyle, freestanding carbon microstructures were fabricated by heating 3D SU-8 microstructures below 1000 • C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Characterization of the pyrolysis process, through measurements such as dimensional changes, roughness, hardness, elastic modulus and resistivity, was performed for positive resists AZ5214 and AZ9260 as well as SU-8. 3D carbon microstructures fabricated using our methods can be utilized for various applications such as low cost resonating microsensors and microfluidics.

Mass-producible superhydrophobic surfaces with remarkably identical appearance and efficiency through a mold fabrication and hot embossing process are reported.

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