
453Microfluidic and Lab-on-Chip Technologies for Biosensors
18.3.5 Laser Ablation and Micromachining
Laser ablation involves the use of a high-powered pulsed laser to remove material from a
sheet of thermoplastic [45] and is an ubiquitous technology with numerous existing appli-
cations such as laser surgery, cutting, and micromachining [46]. Common thermoplastics
used in laser ablation include poly(ethylene terephthalate glycol) (PETG), polycarbon-
ate (PC), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polyimide, and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).
Figure 18.6a shows the process of the creation of patterns in polymer substrates using the
technique of UV exci ...