LASEA optimizes its femtosecond laser microfluidic chip welding processes with CANUNDA-PULSE

Micro-fluidic chips welding …

> Polymer substrate

> 1030nm

> Improved aesthetic appearance

> No burns & sealed assembly

… with M-shape beam

in the processing plane:

> 62µm width
> 15x shaper than Gaussian
> 2.7mm depth of field

Process Speed x9

The partner

LASEA, a Belgian company, develops and markets femtosecond laser micromachining systems and applies its expertise in many demanding industries, such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, automotive and electronics.

The application

Microfluidic chips are manufactured by assembling two polymer plates, one of which has a pattern of microchannels. These “labs-on-a chip” make it possible to reproduce the function of biological systems to perform analysis – in particular medical analysis, such as PCR tests.

The issue

Femtosecond lasers etch the microchannels and create a solid, hermetic weld between the two plates of the microfluidic chip. A significant challenge of this process is to increase the welding rate while improving weld quality. This can be achieved by homogeneous beam shaping.

The CANUNDA-PULSE solution

CANUNDA-PULSE is a high quality top-hat beam shaper. Based on our patented MPLC technology, its completely reflective design can handle high-energy femtosecond pulses with great stability.

Its mode-cleaning feature ensures efficient operation, even with unstable laser sources.

“We develop unique laser machines that enable all the microfluidic chip manufacturing steps to be performed in sequence. By shaping the laser beam, our goal was to improve the quality of the weld, which we achieved. However, in the process, we also increased the welding rate by a factor of 9!”

Marc Décultot, R&D Engineer, LASEA

Industrial integration of CANUNDA-PULSE

CANUNDA-PULSE was installed on a laser micromachining machine at LASEA in order to optimize the welding of microfluidic chips on a polymer substrate.