The influences of the material properties on ceramic micro-stereolithography

Ceramic micro-stereolithography (muSL) was recently introduced in the fabrication of complex 3D ceramic microstructures. Light scattering is found as an important factor in the muSL of ceramics. In this work, the Monte Carlo ray tracing method is employed to investigate the influences of the important materials properties on the scattering during the ceramic muSL. It is found that the scattering is the strongest when the size of the ceramic powders approaches to the laser wavelength (0.364 mum). It was also found that the higher the refractive index contrast between the particle and the resin, the stronger the light scattering. High laser intensity is required to fabricate absorbing ceramic materials to compensate for the laser energy absorbed by the ceramic particle. The muSL of three typical ceramic powders: silica, alumina, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) are examined by the numerical model. The numerical model has been demonstrated as an efficient tool to optimize the muSL process. Finally, the ceramic micro green structures have been successfully fabricated. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.