Rapid laser-based micro/nano-manufacturing using digital multimirror device technology

Single pulses from an ultrafast laser, in combination with a Texas Instrument’s digital multimirror device, have been used to spatially pattern complex structures via laser-ablation, with sub-micron-scale resolution. This flexible and novel manufacturing technique has the ability to pattern (via additive and subtractive fabrication) up to ~1cm2 regions with sub-micron resolution on the time scale of hours, hence finding applications in fields as diverse as metamaterials, telecommunications and semiconductor technologies.There exists a wide range of techniques for the fabrication of micro-scale complex structures, including electron beam lithography, focused-ion beam milling, and direct laser. Whilst these techniques undoubtedly provide impressive resolution, these approaches are not so useful for the manufacturing of larger-scale (~1mm to 1cm) devices, due to the significant time scales that are generally required