Femtosecond laser microstructuring for polymeric lab-on-chips

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of femtosecond laser microfabrication in polymeric materials, with emphasis on lab-on-chip applications. Due to the nonlinear interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with polymers, laser-induced modifications are localized to the focal volume, enabling high resolution patterning in 3D. Femtosecond laser microfabrication offers unmatched versatility in fabricating surface microchannels and diffractive optics by means of laser ablation, buried optical waveguides and micro-optics through refractive index modification and complex 3D microstructures in photoresists by two-photon polymerization. Femtosecond laser microfabrication technology opens the door to fabricating integrated lab-on-chip devices with a single tool.

Keywords: femtosecond laser micromachining; lab-on-chip; microchannels; two-photon polymerization; waveguides.