"MEMS: femtosecond pulsed laser sculpts nanoscale microelectromechanical systems"
Nanoscale sculpting of three-dimensional microelectromechanical systems has been enabled by careful characterization of a femtosecond laser's critical intensity. By varying a femtosecond pulsed laser's intensity, University of Michigan researchers report, materials can be selectively vaporized in 3-D, enabling MEMS ablation tolerances as small as 10 nanometers. "We have MEMS designers beating down our door," said Alan Hunt, an assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering (Ann Arbor). "They bring us these structures they want to make but can't figure out how and we say, sure we can help you make that. We believe our technique will be a real enabler for MEMS."
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