Ultrafast laser machining, enabling technology for Lab-on-chip manufacturing

The Master Student Stefania Caragnano from Ultrafast laser micromachining group of the Department of Physics “M. Merlin”, University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari, has joined for three months MicroTech Lab division of CATMech in Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya to validate the femtosecond laser machined microfluidic devices designed under supervision of Prof. Antonio Ancona and Prof. Annalisa Volpe. Ultrafast lasers are the frontier of micromachining of a huge variety of materials including metals, semiconductors, ceramics, glasses, polymers, crystals. The intrinsic capability of tightly focused ultrashort laser pulses to modify a material with micro/nanometric precision and reduced collateral damage have disclosed new possibilities for milling, drilling, cutting, waveguide writing, 3D printing and synthesis of novel nanocomposites. The aim of the Ultrafast laser micromachining group at Department of Physics of Bari is to use the potential of ultrafast laser sources to fabricate devices, among whom microfluidic devices (Lab-on-Chip). A lab-on-a-chip device aims to replicate a real biological laboratory on a chip. These miniaturized devices can perform multiple analyses better than conventional methods using particle sorting by the laws of microfluidics. This project strengthens the ongoing collaboration between both institutions.

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Quantum electronic and Solid state physics — Fisica (interateneo) (uniba.it)

Laser Processing for Manufacturing and Diagnostics - IFN CNR

Microtech.upc.edu