Digital Multimirror Devices for laser-based Manufacturing

该提案属于光制造，并分别研究了数字多镜器件（dmd）的使用，以执行受控激光烧蚀加工和多光子聚合，用于减法和增材激光制造。我们将加工一系列材料，如金属，半导体，纸张，高价值物品，如宝石，以及聚合物和生物相容性聚合物。dmd是计算机可寻址的反射镜阵列（通常每个芯片多达一百万个反射镜），它可以有一个图案，如字母、标志，甚至是在阵列表面上显示一整页。然后，激光脉冲可以从有图案的镜面阵列上反射出来，并且在定向到用于加工的工件之前，图像被减弱几个数量级。工件上的激光能量密度可以高到足以导致暴露区域的烧蚀材料去除或多光子聚合，从而“打印”DMD上显示的任何缩小版本。在微米（甚至更小）尺寸尺度上的复杂图案的快速激光单次加工是一种新颖的工业相关工艺技术。这里的计划是将我们基于dmd的加工扩展到制造业，如安防，安全，防伪，MEMS和硅光子学，生物相容性模板等领域。该计划将优化这种基于激光的加工技术，然后将其应用于识别用户光谱中最广泛的材料。我们将与工程师和技术人员以及需要快速、低成本和灵活加工技术的激光制造公司合作。

This proposal falls under the Manufacturing with light call and investigates the use of digital multimirror devices (DMDs) to perform controlled laser ablative machining, and multiphoton polymerisation for subtractive and additive laser-based manufacturing respectively. We will process a range of materials such as metals, semiconductors, paper, high value items such as gemstones, as well as polymers and biocompatible polymers. DMDs are computer-addressable arrays of reflective mirrors (typically up to one million mirrors per chip), which can have a pattern such as a letter, logo or even a full-page display imposed on the array surface. A laser pulse can then be reflected off the patterned mirror array and the image demagnified by several orders of magnitude before being directed to the workpiece intended for machining. The laser energy density at the workpiece can be high enough to cause ablative material removal or multiphoton polymerisation in the exposed regions, thereby 'printing' a minified version of whatever was displayed on the DMD. Rapid laser-based single-shot machining of complex patterns at micron (or even smaller) size scales is a novel and industrially-relevant process technology. The programme here is to extend our DMD-based machining to the manufacturing sector, in areas such as security, safety, anti-counterfeiting, MEMS and silicon photonics, biocompatible templates and more. The programme will optimise this laser-based processing technology and then apply it to the widest range of materials across the identified user spectrum. We will engage with engineers and technologists as well as laser-based manufacturing companies who have a need for rapid, low cost and flexible processing techniques.