FAST 3-DIMENSIONAL LASER MICROMACHINING OF SILICON FOR MICROSYSTEMS

The application of laser direct etching of silicon in developing and p rocessing devices for microelectromechanical systems is discussed. The direct write system presented in this paper features high writing spe ed, high resolution and large access range. Direct micromachining of t ruly three-dimensional structures, rapid prototyping, processing on no n-planar substrates, deep structuring such as drilling and cutting, an d complementary processing and post-processing through laser direct et ching are demonstrated. Examples include prototypes of micromachined d iffuser/nozzle elements, illustrating the potential for microfluidic d evices, lens arrays and structures cut out of a membrane, showing the high flexibility of this process.