We report a novel, environmentally-friendly, scalable subtractive process which allows for complex 3D optical, microfluidic and biomedical components and microstructures to be fabricated precisely in a wide variety of polymers.
The reported technique is capable of producing submicron structures with <20 nm depth precision in common polymers (PMMA, ABS, etc.) as well as microchannels and 3D surfaces of >20 µm depth in biodegradable polymers. The process is based on a VUV (λ=172 nm) photoablative lithographic technique utilizing flat microplasma lamps and does not require a clean room environment or any chemical processing. The fabricated 3D surface may also be used as a mold for PDMS curing.
Complex 3D structures having lateral and depth resolutions of <1 µm and 20 nm, respectively, are fabricated in various polymers, including PMMA, ABS, CR-39, and others, by a direct photoablation process utilizing 172 nm radiation from flat microplasma-driven excimer lamps. The developed process does not require any toxic or photosensitive materials, and, therefore, may be performed outside of a clean room. The fabricated 3D structures may also serve as a master mold for PDMS and the curing of other materials.
An optical fiber-based microheater is described. The fiber, a highly Yb-doped (23.4wt% Yb2O3) silicate glass, can produce thermal power densities in excess of 10 W/nL via optical pumping at 976nm. No evidence of luminescence is observed, indicating efficient conversion from optical to thermal energy. Demonstrated are two applications for this microheater. The first is an all-optical-fiber Pirani thermal vacuum gauge, which uses a dual-fiber configuration. The second is an all-optically-driven, all-optical-fiber, Mach-Zehnder-based modulator. The phase delay, introduced by inserting the microheater into one interferometer arm, is a function of its temperature and can be actively controlled by the pump power.
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