Laser-Chemical 3-D Micromachining

Three-dimensional parts are machined in silicon using laser-induced chlorine etching reactions. Structures are created directly from solid-modeling computer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software. Removal rates exceeding 2×10 4 and 10 5 μm 3 /s, several orders of magnitude faster than electrodischarge machining methods, are achieved at 1-μm, and 15-μm x-y resolution, respectively. Laser-induced metallization of resulting structures as well as replication through compression molding have been demonstrated.