Femtosecond laser materials processing using a digital micromirror device

TL;DRAbstract

We present the results of our work using a Texas Instruments digital multimirror device (DMD: a pixelated programmable mirror array) for applications in femtosecond materials processing. Unlike other techniques such as electron beam lithography or focussed ion beam processing, DMD-based laser processing allows image field sizes of ~30µm<sup>2</sup> to be processed using a single femtosecond laser pulse. When combined with step-and-repeat techniques, at laser repetition rates of 1kHz and single pulse energies of ~1mJ, final patterned areas of around 1cm<sup>2</sup> with sub-micron resolution could be achieved within reasonable (less than 1 hour) time scales.<br/> We have used DMD-based highly demagnified image projection for ablation, multiphoton polymerisation and laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). Using 800nm femtosecond laser pulses, we have so far produced features by ablation with linewidths of ~400nm in 300 nm thick films, and achieved sub-micron

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