Method for releasing and drying moveable elements of micro-electronic mechanical structures with organic thin film sacrificial layers

One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for the removal of organic sacrificial layers from a micro-electromechanical structure including the steps of: immersing the structure in at least one bath of at least a first organic solvent, thereby removing substantially all of the organic sacrificial layers; rinsing the structure in a bath of a second organic solvent; transferring the structure to a pressure chamber without substantial evaporation of the second organic solvent wherein the structure is immersed in a second bath of the second organic solvent; closing, pressurizing and filling the pressure chamber with liquid carbon dioxide whereby the second solvent is substantially displaced; heating the liquid carbon dioxide above its critical temperature, thereby permitting the carbon dioxide to undergo a phase change to the supercritical phase; venting the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.