Advanced strategies for three-dimensional micro-structuring with excimer lasers Available to Purchase

In recent years the development of micro-system-technologies has gained in importance due to the increasing demand for integrated micro-components, such as sensors or fiberoptical parts for use in information technologies, automotive, medical and electronic industries. The three-dimensional micro-structuring of workpieces is therefore a very interesting field for different applications. Especially for manufacturing prototypes or small batch sizes, processes are used that make the structuring of complex workpieces, after a short planning stage, possible. By using an excimer laser and a micro-processing machine with a flexible CNC controlled beam forming coupled with a precise workpiece handling, micro-structures can be produced without using expensive and workpiece-specific masks. When using this bulk micro machining, the structures are generated by the iterative ablation of single laser pulses. To generate the complex NC code for such a structuring process, a CAD-CAM software has been developed, that allows the direct transformation of CAD-designed micro-components into an NC code. This code can be used to control an excimer laser based micro-machine. Within this software strategies and algorithms were implemented, that allow the three-dimensional structuring of workpieces within a short time with a high surface quality.