Advanced Medical Device Fabrication Using Industrial Grade Ultrafast Lasers

Ultrafast lasers are becoming essential tools for advanced micromachining and materials processing.  When delivered properly to the target, the high peak power and extreme brevity of the femtosecond class laser pulses enable material removal without imposing thermal effects on the remaining structure.  This athermal ablation phenomenon is beyond the reach of ultraviolet excimer lasers and nanosecond pulse lasers which necessarily deposit substantial heat in the device substrate resulting in heat affected zones (HAZ).  Instead, the athermal modification provided by ultrafast lasers supports direct machining of difficult-to-process materials, such as polymers and other dielectrics, and dramatically reduces the post-processing requirements for laser machined metal devices since deleterious side effects, such as recast, dross, and HAZ, can be eliminated.  Key benefits include laser precision machining of new classes of materials, higher device manufacturing yield across all material classes, and significantly reduced complexity and direct labor versus incumbent device fabrication techniques.  While these benefits have been pointed out in research articles for the past two decades, for the first time there is a laser platform that brings them into commercially relevant medical device manufacturing scenarios.  In this presentation, we will explain the salient differences between laser processing formats, highlight applications examples of ultrafast laser capabilities, and detail the laser solutions that are bringing this capability to the forefront of the medical device industry.