What is the FEMTOPRINT® microfabrication technology and how does it work?
With pioneering expertise since 2013, FEMTOPRINT is the strategic partner for industries requiring extreme precision in transparent glass materials. Our proprietary femtosecond laser-induced etching (SLE) technology bridges the gap between complex 3D design and mass production.
The core FEMTOPRINT® platform integrates ultrafast laser exposure with advanced chemical wet etching. This subtractive process allows for the creation of monolithic, three-dimensional glass devices with unmatched micrometric resolution.
What 3D glass microfabrication capabilities does the FEMTOPRINT® platform enable?
Our Core Capabilities:
What complementary services does FEMTOPRINT offer alongside the core laser platform?
Vertical Integration & Turnkey Solutions: We provide a full-spectrum vertical integration strategy to deliver ready-to-use, tested glass microsystems. Our end-to-end services include:
These services include:
Combining our advanced laser technology platform with standard industrial processes and traceability data, we manufacture ready-to-use products.
What makes FEMTOPRINT's technology fundamentally different from conventional glass microfabrication?
Conventional glass microfabrication, photolithography followed by HF wet etching, sandblasting, mechanical drilling, or laser ablation, is a surface process. It creates 2D patterns at the glass surface or 2.5D depth profiles limited by isotropic etch geometry. It requires photomasks, photoresist, cleanroom environments, and multi-step alignment between separately processed layers when three-dimensional features are needed.
FEMTOPRINT's femtosecond laser selective etching (SLE) is volumetric. The modification, and therefore the etched geometry, exists anywhere inside the glass bulk, at any depth, in any three-dimensional configuration, defined purely by where the laser focus was positioned. No surface access is required. No mask defines the geometry. No layer-by-layer stacking builds the third dimension.
The practical consequences for device designers are fundamental:
Buried channels can cross each other in three dimensions without intersection, impossible in any planar process. Internal cavities can be created with no external opening, sealed by the surrounding glass. Optical waveguides can be written inside a mechanical structure that simultaneously contains microfluidic channels, co-integrated in one piece without assembly.
We do this according to the most stringent quality requirements to achieve the highest possible output.
| Parameter | Value | What it means for your design |
|---|---|---|
| Process | Femtosecond laser exposure + selective wet etching (SLE) | Volumetric, maskless: geometry defined anywhere inside the glass bulk |
| 3D shape accuracy | ≈ 1 µm | Tight alignment of fluidic, optical and mechanical features in one part |
| Minimum feature size | 2 µm | Micro-channels, nozzles, fiber holes and trenches at micron scale |
| Aspect ratio | >> 1:500 | Deep, narrow channels and through-glass vias |
| Max working area | 200 × 200 mm | From single chips to wafer-scale and multi-part layouts |
| Substrate thickness | 30 µm – 32 mm | Thin membranes to thick monolithic blocks |
| Materials | Fused silica and a broad range of glass families | Optical transparency, chemical inertness, biocompatibility |
| 3D capabilities | Buried channels, sealed internal cavities, 3D waveguides | Optics + fluidics + mechanics co-integrated without assembly |
| Bonding | Laser welding glass-to-glass and glass-to-silicon/metal | Hermetic joints for UHV and biocompatible devices |
| Post-processing | Polishing, matte finishing, dicing, AR/metallic/dielectric coatings, assembly, electrical & functional testing | Ready-to-use, tested microsystems |
| Quality system | ISO 13485:2016 · ISO 9001:2015 | Medical-grade traceability from prototype to series production |
| Production scale | Rapid prototyping → industrial manufacturing | Same process from first sample to volume (CDMO) |
Values are typical and depend on geometry and material. Send us your design for a feasibility study.
Maskless technology, ensuring fast turnaround cycles in prototyping
3D microfabrication in a monolithic fashion, avoiding costly alignment and assembly steps
Suitable for a large spectrum of glass families
3D shape accuracy ≈ 1µm
Aspect ratio >> 1:500
Min feature size: 2 µm
Max working area: 200x200mm
Max. / min. substrate thickness: 32 mm / 30 µm
