Programmatically Generated Microparticles Using SUEX Dry-Film Epoxy Resist

TL;DR

This paper introduces a scalable, substrate-free lithographic method for fabricating complex, high-yield microparticles from SUEX dry-film epoxy resist, enabling large-scale, customizable particle production for various scientific applications.

Contribution

The authors develop a novel substrate-free lithographic process combined with automated design generation, allowing high-yield, complex microparticle fabrication at scale.

Findings

Near 100% particle yield achieved.

Supports high-aspect-ratio and complex geometries.

Enables large libraries of customizable microparticles.

Abstract

We present a lithographic method for fabricating free-standing microparticles directly from SUEX dry-film epoxy resist. Unlike conventional SU-8 particle fabrication, which requires patterning on solid substrates followed by sacrificial-layer release, our approach eliminates substrate use entirely and produces particles with near 100% yields. The process supports a wide design space of in-plane geometries, including high-aspect-ratio and highly complex shapes. To enable large-scale particle libraries, we integrate the method with the Nazca Python library, allowing programmatic generation of tens of thousands of parametrically defined particle designs. This combination of substrate-free fabrication and automated design provides a scalable route to custom microparticles for materials science, microfluidics, and soft-matter applications.