Abstract
Non-conventional, non-contact type advanced machining process like laser based micro machining process is widely used in modern industries for producing components with geometrically complex profiles. Though laser based micro machining of polymer, by and large, is a cold ablation process, photo thermal process associated with the laser heating may affect the surface characteristics. This chapter starts with an introduction to various excimer laser sources and proceeds to micromachining application areas with specific reference to polymers. The study of excimer laser micromachining in different gaseous media, conducted by the authors is elaborated further. This study was conducted to ascertain the impact of purging with gases such as air, argon, nitrogen, helium and hydrogen during the laser ablation process. A negative photo resist , E-1020 obtained from M/s Cadmosil Chemical Pvt. Ltd, India was studied using 248 nm KrF excimer laser . The effect of gas purging on the ablation rate and surface characteristics of the polymer was studied. Amongst the gases used, hydrogen gas showed distinct results with respect to ablation rate and surface characteristics. It has been observed that hydrogen gas has enhanced both the ablation rate and the surface quality significantly. The role of hydrogen gas in enhancing the laser ablation rate may be attributed to the possible involvement of hydrogen gas in the laser assisted chemical reaction with polymer. Eximer laser micromachining process is characterized by a number of process parameters that determines efficiency, economy and quality of the whole process. In this chapter, the details of the experiment along with the results and observations, with areas for future study have been presented.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Basting, D., & Marowsky, G. (2005). Excimer laser technology. Berlin: Springer.
Chen, Y.-M., Yang, C.-L., Cheng, Y.-L., Chen, H.-H., Chen, Y.-C., Chu, Y. & Hsieh, T.-E., (2005). 10 Gbps multi-mode waveguide for optical interconnect. In Proceedings of the 55th electronic components and technology conference (Vol. 2, pp. 1739–1743).
Chiu, C. C., & Lee, Y. C. (2011). Fabricating of aspheric micro-lens array by excimer laser micromachining. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 49(9), 1232–1237.
Dupont, A., Caminat, P., & Bournot, P. (1995). Enhancement of material ablation using 248, 308, 532, 1064 nm laser pulse with a water film on the treated surface. Journal of Applied Physics, 78(3), 2022–2028.
Garrison, B. J., & Srinivasan, R. (1985). Laser ablation of organic polymers: microscopic models for photochemical and thermal processes. Journal of Applied Physics, 57, 2909–2914.
Gifford, R. S., & Bartnik, D. J. (1998). Using optical sensors to measure arterial blood gases. Optical and Photonics News, 9, 27.
Gower, M. C. (2000). Industrial applications of laser micromachining. Optics Express, 7(2), 56–67.
Issa, A., Brabazon, D., & Hashmi, M. S. J. (2008). 3D transient thermal modelling of laser microchannel fabrication in lime-soda glass. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 207, 307–314.
Jackson, S. R., Matheringham, P. E., & Dyer, P. E. (1995). Eximer laser ablation of Nd:YAG and Nd:glass. Applied Surface Science, 86, 223–227.
Kim, E. S. (2010). Ph.D. thesis, Raleigh, North Carolina State University.
Li, L., & Achara, A. (2004). Chemical assisted laser machining for the minimization of recast and heat affected zone. Annals of CIRP, 53, 175–178.
Lide, D. R. (Ed). (2009), CRC handbook of chemistry and physics (89th ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.
Meijer, J. (2004). Laser beam machining (LBM), state of the art and new opportunities. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 149, 2–17.
Pfleging, W., Przybylski M., & Bruckner H.J. (2006). Excimer laser material processing—state of the art and new approaches in microsystem technology. In Proceedings of SPIE—the international society for optical engineering, (Vol. 6107, pp. 61070G1‒61070G15).
Rao, B. T., Kaul, R., Tiwari, P., & Nath, A. K. (2005). Inert gas cutting of titanium sheet with pulsed mode CO2 cutting. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 43, 1330–1348.
Rosqvist, T., & Johansson, S. (2002). Soft micromolding and lamination of piezoceramic thick films. Sensors and Actuators A, 97–98, 512–519.
Rowan C. (1995). Excimer lasers drill precise holes with higher yields. Laser Focus World, 31(8), 81–83.
Shah, L., Kam D. H., & Mazumder, J. (2008). Fabrication of microfluidic networks using a high power femtosecond fiber laser. Proceedings of SPIE, 7005, 70050E-1–70050E-5.
Sinkovics, B., Gordon, P., & Harsányi, G. (2010). Computer modelling of the laser ablation of polymers. Applied Thermal Engineering, 30(2010), 2492–2498.
Srinivasan, R., & Mayne-Banton, V. (1982). Self-developing photoetchining of poly (ethylene tere phthalate) films by far-ultraviolet excimer laser radiation. Applied Physics Letters, 41, 576–578.
Tseng, A. A. (2007). Recent developments on microablation of glass materials using excimer lasers. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 45, 975–992.
Yung, W. K. C., Liu, J. S., Man, H. C., & Yue, T. M. (2000). 355 nm Nd:YAG laser ablation of polyimide and its thermal effect. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 101, 306–311.
Zakariyah, S.S. (2010). Laser ablation of polymer waveguide and embedded mirror for optically-enabled printed circuit boards (OEPCB). Ph.D. thesis, Loughborough University, UK.
Zeng, D. W., Yung, K. C., & Xie, C. S. (2003). UV Nd:YAG laser ablation of copper: chemical states in both crater and halo studied by XPS. Applied Surface Science, 217, 170–180.
Zheng, H. Y., Liu, H., Wan, S., Lim, G. C., Nikumb, S., & Chen, Q. (2006). Ultrashort pulse laser micromachined microchannels and their application in an optical switch. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 27, 925–929.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to Mr. Abhishek Singh and Mr. Rajashekara Biradar, for their assistance in carrying out the experiments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer India
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jacob, J., Shanmugavelu, P., Balasubramaniam, R., Singh, R.K. (2015). Excimer Laser Micromachining and its Applications. In: Joshi, S., Dixit, U. (eds) Lasers Based Manufacturing. Topics in Mining, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2352-8_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2352-8_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New Delhi
Print ISBN: 978-81-322-2351-1
Online ISBN: 978-81-322-2352-8
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)