Fabrication of microchannels for microfluidic devices using laser micromachining

Micro machining is widely used to create micro features for various applications. Laser micromachining is gaining importance for its flexibility, accuracy, and its ability to process a wide range of materials. The various challenges in CO2 laser micro machining include achieving high surface finish and variable cross-sectional profile of micro channels. In this work, the micro channels machined on polymethyl-methacrylate are studied. The effect of laser machining overlap and repeated machining on the profile of micro channels at constant laser power and machining speed is investigated. The influence of the parameters on the width of the channel and surface quality is studied in this work.