Microassembly based on hands free origami with bidirectional curvature

Microassembly based on origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, presents an attractive methodology for constructing complex three-dimensional (3D) devices and advanced materials. A variety of functional structures have been created using patterned metallic, semiconducting, and polymeric thin films, but have been limited to those that curve in a single direction. We report a design framework that can be used to achieve spontaneous bidirectional folds with any desired angle, and we demonstrate theoretical and experimental realizations of complex 3D structures with +90 degrees, -90 degrees, +180 degrees, and -180 degrees folds. The strategy is parallel, versatile, and compatible with conventional microfabrication. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3212896]