Micromachining of polyurethane (PU) polymer using a KrF excimer laser (248 nm)

- We examine the micromachined surfaces of polyurethane polymer.
- The effect of various operating parameters on micromachining are investigated.
- Experiment performed in air and under water environments with different mask size.

Polyurethane (PU) polymer, due to its biocompatibility, weather resistance, and favorable physical properties, finds a number of applications in medical implants, protective coatings, and as a prototype material for structural components in MEMS devices. An excimer laser (wavelength = 248 nm, FWHM = 25 ns) is employed for micromachining of polyurethane (PU) polymer. For air environment, the ablation rate is 0.18 μm/pulse and for underwater environment, the ablation rate is 0.07 μm/pulse (with underwater ablation threshold as 0.10 J/cm2), which concluded low taper angles (∼32°) for in air as compared to high taper angles (∼65°) with underwater micromachining. The experimental results for air and under water micromachining demonstrate ablation process as a combination of photo-thermal and photo-chemical mechanism.