Femtosecond laser fabrication of waveguides and microchannels in polymers for optofluidic sensing

Waveguides and microchannels have been formed in PMMA with femtosecond lasers with repetition rates spanning single pulse and heat diffusion and accumulation regimes. Waveguides show single mode guidance in the visible, while microchannels show low roughness compared to other laser fabrication techniques. Future experiments will integrate waveguides and channels for low-cost optofluidic sensors.