US Patent 7682659 - Suspended carbon MEMS

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7682659.html

MEMS devices are most often formed with silicon materials but for some applications carbon is more desirable to establish biocompatiblity. This patent from the University of California teaches a method for forming carbon MEMS of different shapes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for forming suspended carbon structures comprising the steps of

exposing a negative photoresist to UV light;

patterning lines with electron beam lithography to the top surface of the photoresist between UV exposed areas;

pyrolyzing the patterned negative photoresist in a two step pyrolysis process in a first inert gas atmosphere; and

forming carbon posts with carbon structures suspended therebetween.