Chapter 5: Laser Micro-structuring

This chapter is focused on laser ablation for micro-structuring. Basic properties of laser ablation are, firstly, introduced, which addresses the principles of the laser interactions with materials, absorption effects on ablation geometry, and thermal effects on ablation precision and geometry. These are followed by presenting process principles and techniques for laser ablation for micro-structuring, such as using mask technique and scribing technique, for which some application examples are given, including micro-structured replication tool for self-assembly and micro-fluidic channels.