Rapid and low cost grayscal mask fabricated with a monochrome photography process

This work presents a simple, low cost and rapid method to produce grayscale mask and 3D micro structures utilizing a conventional monochrome photography and a standard photolithography processes. A high resolution LCD monitor with a resolution of 1680*1050 is used to display the designed pattern with grayscale intensities. The displayed pattern is then photographed using a 120 single lens reflection camera (120 SLR) with a Kodak monochrome film. A grayscale mask can be generated on a monochrome film in a short time of only few hours. More importantly, the cost for producing this grayscale mask is lower than 1 USD for a 6 × 4.5 cm² film. In the present work, the basic exposure properties of the employed monochrome film are first investigated. The deposited silver particles on the fabricated mask show good blocking capabilities for UV lights. Experimental results also indicate that the fabricated grayscale mask has a good grayscale range and a good minimum feature size (<; 30 μm). A 3D microstructure of a topology map for Taiwan Island is successfully generated with the developed los-cost grayscale mask.