Multiple-beam laser patterning on aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, and hydroxyapatite ceramic materials using a microlens array

Abstract

Microlens array patterning (MLAP) is a fabrication technology capable to generate simultaneously several thousands of features using a single laser beam. This is done by illuminating a microlens array (MLA) with a laser beam, consisting of several lenses with micrometer sizes which are arranged periodically. In this way, the resulting geometry on the irradiated material depends on the geometrical arrangement of the MLA. In this study, a nanosecond pulsed ultraviolet-laser is used for MLAP of aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, and hydroxyapatite using an MLA with 150 μm lens pitch. It is shown that depending on the number of laser pulses and laser fluences, the pattern depth can be increased from less than one micrometer up to tens of micrometer. Different pattern geometries are also obtained by translating the ceramic material with X and Y stages. The MLAP speed is calculated and compared to direct laser writing using galvanometric scanning mirrors.