Applications Diversity

The XLF tool provides two lasers on a single platform, incorporating both very short wavelength (157nm)  and very short pulse width (~130fs) energy sources. With these lasers almost any material can be ablated, lending itself to product development applications in diverse industrial sectors.

Examples of the diversity of applications undertaken to date for both large corporate and small enterprises includes:

  ♦   Microfluidic manifolds for biosensor diagnostics strips
  ♦   Multifunctional microseparations devices in PEEK composites
  ♦   Scribbing silicon wafers in non-linear geometries
  ♦   Precision hole drilling in optofluidic fused silica
  ♦   Multichannel emulsification microreactors in fluoropolymers
  ♦   Three-dimensionally structured piezoelectric microactuators
  ♦   Machning of fused silica master plates for polymer imprinting

Materials Considerations 

 Important materials parameters for BioCHIPs, Fluidics and BioPhotonics 

  -  Repeatable surface chemistry & stability
  -  Contact angle and time-domain stability 
  -  No / minimal leaching (of contaminants)  from substrates 
  -  Minimal thermal damage to substrates >> biomaterials/gels 
  -  Minimal surface roughness to prevent fouling / protein adhesion 
  -  FDA approved materials for biosynthesis applications 
  -  Minimal surface roughness to minimise light scattering 
  -  Solvent resistance, particularly for chemical separations 
  -  Light transmission (UV, VIS, IR, FIR).

Material preferences

Functional materials considerations, especially for robust industrial applications usually gives rise to a limiting materials set including:-

  -  Fused silica
  -  Fluoropolymers
  -  Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
  -  Stainless Steel
  -  Cyclic Olefin Copolymers

The XLF Dual 157nm-femtosecond laser system is designed to work with this materials set in particular , but is also an ideal tool for working with many other materials, ranging from biopolymers, to semiconductors.