Main fields of work

• High-resolution and low damage micro material processing of metals, semiconductor materials, ceramics, polymers, thin films and high hardness materials, such as poly-crystalline diamonds (PCD) and Sapphirewith short and ultrashort laser pulses (new: 50 W ps-laser) in the wavelength range of 157 - 1064 nm
• Surface functionalization of polymers and ceramics
• UV micro stereo lithography
• Laser trimming and postprocessing of existing micro-systems
• Feasibility studies and process development for automotive industry, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, sensor and medical technology

The Microtechnology Group implements research ideas and development projects in the field of laser-assisted micro material processing. This includes ablation and surface modification processes as well as laser-assisted micro stereo lithography. With several pulsed laser beam sources (Excimer, Nd:YAG, Nd:YV04) the Group offers pulse lenghts from the nano up to the pico second range and wavelengths from the UV to the near Infrared range. Integrating laser beam sources in flexible work stations with integrated dynamic mirror scanners makes it possible to rapidly carry out feasibility and comparative studies regarding laser types and process strategies. Since 2008, high-power pico-second lasers with medium output powers of 50 W and pulse repetition rates of up to 1 MHz are available, too. We thus have enough laser output power at our disposal to investigate the speed-scaling potential of  lab-scale processes for economically viable mass production.

In the field of laser ablation we focus on the following areas:

• Generation of variable riblet structures for compressor blades
• Process development for manufacturing dielectric ceramic micro sensors (laser structuring and galvanic metallization)
• Laser ablation using ps-double pulses, two-dimensional and spatial structuring of Sapphire micro forming tools
• Structuring functional geometries, such as chip grooves of high-hardness cutters, cubic cBN and poly-crystalline diamond (PCD)
• High-speed structuring of thin film systems
• Inserting optical defects in polystyrene-based photonics crystals