SAMIKSHA PATEL
Microfluidics Stage-3 report
Laser matter interaction in microfluidic devices and the parameters and
fabrication process of 3D micro-structures using femtosecond pulsed lasers.
SAMIKSHA PATEL
210100130
1.Laser matter interaction
The term "laser-matter interaction" refers to the
interaction of laser light with a substance, which
can have a variety of outcomes on various
scales.
Atomic, molecular, and macroscopic layers of
matter are all affected by laser interaction.
Atomic excitation and ionisation occur as a
result of laser-matter interaction. Through the
absorption of photons, a laser beam can induce
electrons to move from lower energy levels to
higher energy levels when it strikes an atom.
Excitation is the name given to this process (1).
Additionally, if the laser beam's energy is high
enough, it may cause the ionisation of atoms,
which is the process by which all of an atom's
electrons are removed (3).
Laser photons and molecule bonds come into
contact with one another to interact with matter
at the molecular level. Through laser-induced
structural and phase transformations, laser
pulses can cause structural and phase changes
in materials (1). Another method that creates
nanoparticles by removing material from a solid
surface with laser pulses is called laser ablation.
Controlling the size of the generated
nanoparticles can also be done using laser
ablation.
The interaction of a laser with matter can
produce laser light at the macroscopic level.
Excited atoms or molecules emit photons into
the lasing mode during the lasing action, which
leads to the accumulation of coherent laser light
(4). The interaction of the laser light with the
environment can then produce a variety of
210100130
outcomes, including optical pumping and
electromagnetically-induced transparency (2)(5).
In general, the interaction between laser photons
and atoms, molecules, and macroscopic
materials is what causes a wide variety of
effects and phenomena in laser-matter
interaction. Various elements, including the laser
beam's energy, the material's characteristics, and
the experimental setup, influence the
interaction's precise nature.
[Sources:
(1)Atomistic modelling of nanoparticle
generation in short pulse laser ablation of thin
metal films in water, Journal of Colloid and
Interface Science, 2017
(2)Laser Induced Multiphoton Effects in
Nano-Graphene Molecules, Applied Sciences,
2013
(3)Laser spectroscopic characterization of the
nuclear-clock isomer 229mTh , Nature, 2018
(4)Bose–Einstein condensation in a plasmonic
lattice, Nature Physics, 2018
(5)Measuring the Hyperfine Splitting and
Deriving the Hyperfine Interaction Constants of
the Cesium 5p67d 2D5/2 Excited State, Applied
Sciences, 2020]
2.The process parameters and fabrication
process of 3D micro-structures using
femtosecond pulsed laser
2.1.What is the fabrication process of 3D
microstructures using a femtosecond pulsed
laser?
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SAMIKSHA PATEL
A femtosecond laser is an ultrafast laser that
emits extremely short pulses of light, each
lasting for femtoseconds (10^-15 seconds).The
use of such short pulses allows for precise and
controlled material processing.The fabrication
process of 3D micro-structures using
femtosecond pulsed laser is based on a
technique called direct laser writing (DLW) or 3D
laser lithography (1).
DLW utilizes a femtosecond laser to perform
multi-photon polymerization of a photoresist,
where two or more photons are absorbed
simultaneously (1) by a photosensitive material
called a photoresist. This absorption triggers a
chemical reaction, leading to the solidification of
the material at the focal point of the laser.
Local crosslinking within the laser's focusing
point is made possible by this nonlinear process,
allowing for the production of intricate 3D
structures on a submicron scale (1).The
simultaneous absorption of many photons,
which is not just an additive effect, makes
multi-photon polymerization a non-linear
process.
The photoresist material solidifies and creates
crosslinks (known as local crosslinking) within
the laser's focal spot. Crosslinking functions
similarly to joining bricks, enabling the
construction of intricate 3D structures. DLW is
appealing for applications requiring exact
structures because of its high resolution, which
was attained by utilising STED principles,
including optical metamaterials, biomedicine,
microfluidics, and microelectronics (1).
An idea called STED (Stimulated Emission
Depletion) is applied to improve optical systems'
resolution. Utilising STED principles, DLW is
able to fabricate with high resolution,
guaranteeing that the structures have fine
details.
[Sources:
(1)Adding chemically selective subtraction to
multi-material 3D additive manufacturing, Nature
communication, 2018]
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2.2.What are the process parameters?
Using a femtosecond pulsed laser, the following
process variables are necessary to produce 3D
micro-structures:
1. Laser power: The laser power affects the size
and shape of the structures and dictates the
intensity of the laser beam. Variable line sizes
and depths can be achieved by using different
laser powers (2).
2. Scanning speed: The laser beam's scanning
speed has an impact on the structure's
resolution and fabrication time. Surfaces may
become rougher and surface feature size may
vary less at faster scanning rates (1).
3. Photoresist characteristics: The resolution
and calibre of the manufactured structures can
be affected by the photoresist's characteristics,
such as its bonding effect and surface
roughness (2).
4. Voxel size, or the size of the laser beam focus,
controls the smallest feature size that can be
obtained. The voxel size can be altered to
regulate the resolution of the structures and can
vary with light intensity (2).
5. Depth in relation to the substrate: According
to two studies, the line width and resolution of
fabricated structures can be influenced by the
depth of the structures in relation to the
substrate.
Using femtosecond pulsed laser technology, it is
feasible to produce exact and complex 3D
micro-structures by manipulating these process
variables.
[Sources:
(1)The influence of picosecond laser generated
periodic structures on bacterial behaviour,
Applied Surface Science, 2021
(2)Fast Fabrication of Conductive Copper
Structure on Glass Material Using Laser-Induced
Chemical Liquid Phase Deposition, Applied
Sciences, 2021]
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SAMIKSHA PATEL 210100130

A soda lime glass slide is the sample, which is

3.Objective:
The objective of the experiment is to fabricate
the microchannels using a femto-second laser
(with 1030 nm wavelength, 10W power, 200kHz
pulse repetition rate) on a sublime glass slide of
thickness 1.21nm. The learning objective is to:
1.Understand the interaction of a femtosecond
LASER with matter such as soda lime glass in
this case.
2. The various process parameters on which the
groove dimensions depend.
4.Methodology or scientific approach:
The experimental setup is as shown in Figure 1.
fixed on a stage, and the laser beam is focused
on its surface. Before beginning the process, we
must make sure that the sample's surface has
been completely cleansed to remove any dirt or
debris. Laser factors including the scanning
speed, number of scans, average power, and
pulse repetition rate may all be controlled
precisely with the experimental setup.
4.1. Evaluation of groove depth
From the experiment in the provided source, it is
established that the groove depth is dependent
on the following factors:
- LASER energy density: The study of groove
depth reveals that the relationship between
groove depth and laser energy density is almost
linear. This relationship is true whether the glass
plate is treated on a dry glass surface or in a
liquid media, regardless of the environment.

The study's experimental setup uses the

Carbide® Yb:KGW femtosecond laser system.
This laser system has a 1030 nm operating
wavelength and a 280 fs pulse width. It has a
200 kHz repetition rate and an average power of
up to 10W.

The two-axis galvanometric scanner is then the

- Scanning Speed: The scanning speed affects
target of the laser beam after it has passed
how deep the grooves are on the glass sample.
through a beam expander. This scanner, which is
In comparison to lower scanning speeds (50-150
managed by SCA fabrication software, enables
mm/s), higher scanning speeds (200-300 mm/s)
quick and accurate mirror positioning for laser
produce deeper grooves.
beam refraction.

A 75 mm F-Theta lens was employed to focus

the laser beam after it had passed through the
scanner. The focal spot measured 20 m in
diameter. The laser was directed at normal
incidence onto the sample.

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SAMIKSHA PATEL 210100130

- Immersion in Liquids: Immersing the glass

sample in different liquids, such as KOH and
- Comparison between Liquids: Grooves formed
NaCl solutions, affects the depth of the grooves.
in KOH aqueous solution are generally deeper
Deeper grooves are observed when the sample
than those formed in NaCl solution. This
is immersed in a 1% KOH solution compared to a
suggests that the laser radiation causes a local
NaCl solution with a concentration of 10 g/100
increase in temperature, enhancing the
mL. This is because KOH solution has stronger
corrosion properties of KOH solution and
corrosion properties.
resulting in more material removal during
ablation.
- Concentration of Liquids: The concentration of
the liquids also plays a role in groove depth.
From the above illustrations and literature, we
Higher concentrations of KOH solution (up to
can see that groove depth is a function of many
35%) result in deeper grooves compared to
characteristics. However, for the purpose of this
lower concentrations. Similarly, increasing the
experiment, we will adjust the characteristics so
concentration of NaCl solution (up to 10 g/100
as to obtain dimensions of 150-200
mL) leads to deeper grooves.
micrometres. The design of the microchannel to
be fabricated is as follows:+

- Number of Scans: The depth of the grooves
increases with the number of scans. As the
number of scans increases, more material is
removed, resulting in deeper grooves. After 15 or
more scans, the grooves formed under a 10%
KOH solution are the deepest, around 9% deeper
than on a dry surface.
(Image courtesy:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10404
-021-02502-2, Section 2.4.5)
It is a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
(GC–MS) microfluidic chip design.
A GC–MS microfluidic chip is designed for the
determination of ambient gaseous molecules.
[Sources for sections 4 and 4.1:

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SAMIKSHA PATEL 210100130

(1)Micromachining of Soda–Lime Glass in

Ambient Air and under Various Aqueous
Solutions
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/10/6/354]