NU 2012-189

Inventors

Jian Cao*

Kornel F Ehmann

Kumar Pallav

Rajiv Malhotra

Ishan Saxena

Short Description

A novel laser-induced plasma micro-machining (LIPMM) with enhanced productivity and process flexibility for micro-machining process

Abstract

Northwestern's researchers have developed a novel laser-induced plasma micro-machining (LIPMM) with enhanced productivity and process flexibility. As a tool-less micro-machining process, LIPMM can reduce machining time significantly and overcome the limitations of other micro-machining processes. Northwestern's spot plasma based LIPMM (S-LIPMM) can machine various materials. Two new variants of S-LIPMM have been developed: L-LIPMM utilizes line-shaped laser to achieve efficient micro-patterning over large area, and MC-LIPMM utilizes external magnetic control to manipulate plasma shape for patterning nonconventional micro-features without changing optics. This promising multi-material, high-throughput and process-flexible LIPMM technology can be applied to a wide variety of applications, such as creating hydrophobic surface, light-trapping for solar cells and friction reduction.

Applications

• Micro-texturing of biomedical implants for osseogeneration capacity improvement
• Micro-patterning for light-trapping in thin-film solar cells
• Micro-texturing for surface hydrophobicity and anti-bacterial property
• Micro-machining for wear/friction reduction

Advantages

• Material flexibility: transparent materials, non-metal materials, composite materials
• High productivity enabled by L-LIPMM
• Process flexibility enabled by MC-LIPMM

Publication

Malhotra, R., Saxena, I., Ehmann, K.F. and Cao, J. (2013) 'Laser-induced Plasma Micro-machining (LIPMM) for Enhanced Productivity and Flexibility in Laser-based Micro-machining Processes', Annuals of CIRP, Vol.62 (1), pp. 211-214, DOI: 10.1016/j.cirp.2013.03.036.

IP Status

Issued US Patent No. 9,455,127