The common sources used in microstructuring are short or ultrashort pulse lasers. In combination with 2D-Galvanometer scanners and f-theta lenses, many different materials such as metals, ceramics, synthetics and composites can be processed, structured, drilled, welded, perforated, ablated or sintered.
The mentioned combination of galvanometer scanner and f-theta lens encounters its limits when the structures that have to be imaged are significantly larger than the laser spot diameter (some hundreds of micrometers or more). As a consequence image aberrations occur, that distort the structure depending on its position on the image field.
F-theta lenses that are made for a scanning imaging of structures with the mentioned size above some 100 µm are possible, but they have to be custom designed and feature a particularly low distortion. Additionally the imaged mask can be scaled-down to reach structures and especially edge sharpness in the range of micrometers.
As supplier of customer and application specific solutions, Sill Optics has developed and produced many lithographic lenses in the UV range (193 nm, 248 nm, 355 nm) and also in the IR range (980nm). If this topic has attracted your interest, we are pleased to help.
