Applications of laser lithography on oxide film to titanium micromachining

Due to its good biocompatibility titanium is widely used for dental and orthopaedics implants and for biomedical microsystems. For these applications one needs specific micromachining methods. A new four-step method for electrochemical micromachining of titanium is presented here, which implies anodic oxidation, Excimer laser sensitising irradiation, anodic dissolution, and ultrasonic cleaning. The method is applied to the fabrication of two 3D model structures, surface structuring of a cylinder and machining of a complex two-level architecture. The absence of debris and of a heat affected zone as well as the resulting surface smoothness are the main advantages of the process. Ways to improve the still limited processing speed are discussed with regards to potential applications. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.