Femtosecond Micromachinning

100 m

Metals

CeramicsDiamond

Teeth High Explosives

Ultrashort pulses are ideal for micro-machiningUltrashort pulses are ideal for micro-machining

Ultrashort pulse lasers can precision machine many materialsUltrashort pulse lasers can precision machine many materials

M.D. Feit, A.M. Komashko, A.M. Rubenchik, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Polymers

x

Threshold for cutting

Beam focused to 2

Beam profile

Size of hole

Ultrashort-pulse micro-machining can make sub-wavelength holes

Because high-order nonlinear-optical processes are responsible for cutting, there is effectively a threshold for cutting. This means

that careful control of the intensity can yield a very small hole

Long pulse Short pulse

Long- vs. short-pulse micromachining

The main advantages of femtosecond micro machining are: - No thermal damage: High machining quality, heat sensitive material machining  - Unmatched accuracy: Down to 100nm (very well defined ablation threshold) - No wavelength dependence: Any material can be machined with the same laser

Examples

540 nm

Sub-micron holes in stainless steelSub-micron holes in stainless steelFemtosecond-Pulse Drilled HoleFemtosecond-Pulse Drilled Hole