Programmable Dimensional Lithography with Digital Micromirror Devices for Multifunctional Microarchitectures

Abstract

Digital micromirror device (DMD) lithography has emerged as a powerful and reconfigurable platform for high-resolution optical patterning across multiple length scales. Through microsecond mirror actuation and maskless spatial light modulation, DMD systems project user-defined light patterns that enable real-time fabrication of complex microstructures with high spatial precision. However, broader deployment remains limited by performance constraints, including resolution and throughput tradeoffs, narrow material compatibility, and the absence of robust strategies for volumetric structuring and functional integration. Recent progress in system-level design has substantially improved pattern fidelity and adaptability. The development of organic-inorganic hybrid material platforms from photoreactive materials to all-inorganic platforms has broadened the material design space and enabled new functional complexity. Beyond 2D planar fabrication based on binary DMD projection, recent dimensional lithography strategies integrate microfluidics and grayscale mask techniques, enabling the fabrication of 2.5D and 3D microstructures. Together, these support the fabrication of hierarchical, multi-material microstructures with enhanced resolution, material complexity, and geometric freedom. This review presents a programmable framework that links optical design and computational patterning with material platforms and technical strategies. Collectively, these developments establish DMD lithography as a digitally controlled microfabrication platform for fabricating functional microarchitectures for applications in encryption, actuation, sensing, and bio integration.